CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Cygrid vs Pillar Security

Cygrid sells a platform that finds shadow AI, over-scoped tokens and leftover admin rights across SaaS, checks every action by humans, service accounts and AI agents, and secures actions by applying customer policy. Pillar Security sells one platform to discover, test, secure and govern every AI agent across an organization. CISO Tribune files both under AI governance and AI firewalls and guardrails. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

Change the companies

Up to four companies side by side.

  • Cygrid
  • Pillar Security
Cygrid vs Pillar Security: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CygridCygrid sells a platform that finds shadow AI, over-scoped tokens and leftover admin rights across SaaS, checks every action by humans, service accounts and AI agents, and secures actions by applying customer policy.cygrid.ioPillar SecurityPillar Security sells one platform to discover, test, secure and govern every AI agent across an organization.pillar.security
What it sells
  • Identity Intelligence Graph[1][4]Holds humans, non-human identities, AI agents, tokens, MCP servers and resources in one graph.
  • MCP Gateway[3][8]Sits in the tool-call path and audits, allows, rewrites or blocks every agent tool call at runtime.
  • Agentic Endpoint[7][10]Protects the AI agents that run on employee machines.
Categories
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany[2]Not stated on its pages
Founded
2026[2][3]Not stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesOwned by Vanta
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
Not stated on its pages
  • November 9, 2026Vanta signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pillar Security, an AI security platform that protects AI agents across their lifecycle.[11]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
Finance teams whose AI agents work with ledger and bank data are among the audiences it addresses. Mid-sized retailers that run several stores are among the audiences it addresses. IT operations teams dealing with unused accounts, standing admin rights and forgotten tokens across SaaS are an audience, as are security and compliance teams that need evidence for NIS2, DORA and the EU AI Act.Not written yet
Last verified
October 23, 2026November 10, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Cygrid and Pillar Security are both filed under AI governance and AI firewalls and guardrails.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Cygrid's primary category is Non-human identity security; Pillar Security's is AI model and agent security.
  • Cygrid is also filed under Identity threat detection and response. Pillar Security is also filed under Workforce AI usage security.
  • Cygrid lists Identity Intelligence Graph and MCP Gateway. Pillar Security lists Agentic Endpoint.
  • Cygrid is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
  • Cygrid was founded in 2026.
  • Pillar Security is owned by Vanta.

What it sells: Cygrid

What Identity Intelligence Graph does[1][4]
Cygrid models the action, meaning the permission actually in play, in full context. The graph models access as SaaS actions rather than roles, so risk can be compared across tools.

What it sells: Pillar Security

What Agentic Endpoint does[7][10]
Pillar deploys through an MDM and inventories the AI coding agents across a fleet: which agents run where, their versions, sandbox state and risk. Runtime Guardian sits in the agent's own pre-tool hook for Claude Code, Codex CLI and Cursor, and decides on every action before it runs. Pillar inventories local and remote servers across a fleet and scores each against a catalog of 23,000+ pre-analyzed servers.

Questions about Cygrid and Pillar Security

What do Cygrid and Pillar Security sell?
Cygrid sells Identity Intelligence Graph and MCP Gateway. Pillar Security sells Agentic Endpoint.
Are Cygrid and Pillar Security in the same category?
They share AI governance and AI firewalls and guardrails. Cygrid's primary category is Non-human identity security and Pillar Security's is AI model and agent security.
Where are Cygrid and Pillar Security headquartered?
Cygrid is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
When were Cygrid and Pillar Security founded?
Cygrid was founded in 2026.
Who owns Cygrid and Pillar Security?
Pillar Security is owned by Vanta.
Who are Cygrid and Pillar Security sold to?
Finance teams whose AI agents work with ledger and bank data are among the audiences it addresses.
What have Cygrid and Pillar Security announced recently?
November 9, 2026: Vanta signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pillar Security, an AI security platform that protects AI agents across their lifecycle.

About Cygrid

Cygrid sells a platform that finds shadow AI, over-scoped tokens and leftover admin rights across SaaS, checks every action by humans, service accounts and AI agents, and secures actions by applying customer policy. Cygrid puts humans, service accounts, API connections and AI agents in one Identity Intelligence Graph. Cygrid connects identity, SaaS, cloud and AI sources into the Identity Intelligence Graph and secures every identity at three enforcement points: before first use, while access exists and at runtime. Cygrid offers one platform to discover, clean up, audit and secure access across SaaS.[1][4][5][6][9]

Cygrid models the action, meaning the permission actually in play, in full context. The graph records what each identity may do, what it actually does and on whose behalf, and policy rules and AI-driven analysis score the risk together. Cygrid discovers the AI agents, MCP servers and connected apps across SaaS, maps each one to the person it acts for, and records who approved what.[4][5][7]

The Cygrid MCP Gateway sits in the tool-call path and audits, allows, rewrites or blocks every agent tool call at runtime, decided by the same graph as every other enforcement point. Every MCP tool call is authenticated through the customer identity provider, tied to the person behind the agent and checked against policy down to the tool and parameter. In the MCP Gateway, credentials are issued just in time, and every call is logged. Cygrid keeps a registry of approved MCP servers with owner, provenance and version, and pauses a server whose tools change until it is re-reviewed. Cygrid verdicts include allow, downscope, block, revoke on approval or grant just in time, and each verdict is written to an immutable decision log. Cygrid issues a scoped credential at the moment of use and lets it expire. Cygrid removes standing admin and grants elevated access on request, for a limited time.[5][8][9][10][11]

Okta, Entra ID or Google Workspace can sync users, groups and offboarding to the MCP Gateway, so access follows the person. Cygrid ingests existing security tools as feeds and does not replace them. Cygrid connectors are read-only by default, with write access only for fixes the customer approves. On approval, Cygrid revokes risky access, orphaned accounts and dormant tokens at the source, blocks unapproved MCP servers and controls which identities AI agents use. Cygrid inventories every OAuth grant, API key, service account and AI app connection, and revokes the risky ones. Cygrid works with ChatGPT, Claude, Claude agents and more, plus any agent that connects through MCP or OAuth.[5][6][8][9][12]

In a finance example, an AI assistant on Drive can read, edit and share files while every delete is blocked. When an agent asks to export 100,000 records, Cygrid blocks the call or reduces it to the 500-record limit before it reaches the app. For e-commerce, Cygrid maps staff, apps and AI agents with access in every Shopify store and flags dormant admins and over-scoped app tokens. Cygrid grants temporary staff, agencies and freelancers time-limited access and removes it automatically when the work ends.[13][14]

Cygrid audits every identity and its access, enforces customer policies on every action, and generates evidence for NIS2, DORA and the EU AI Act from one live graph. Cygrid fills in a register of ICT third parties, including OAuth apps and AI agents, automatically from the graph. Cygrid finds shadow admins whose rights come through groups and never appear in the admin list of the platform, and shows the path from user to group to role. The Cygrid gateway inspects tool calls, not content, and its logs record each action and the person behind it, never prompts. Cygrid is ISO 27001 audited, has SOC 2 Type II in progress and has passed an external penetration test. Cygrid is hosted in Frankfurt across multiple availability zones.[1][4][7][8][12][13][14]

Cygrid on the record

Sources

Cygrid full record

  1. [1]cygrid.ioCygrid · cygrid.io · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]AboutCygrid · cygrid.io · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Cygrid emerges from stealthCygrid · cygrid.io · published October 22, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Identity Enforcement for AI-Driven Enterprises | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Identity Enforcement Platform | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Least Privilege Across Your SaaS | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Identity Intelligence Graph | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]MCP Gateway for AI Agents | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Secure AI Agent Rollout for AI Teams | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Identity Enforcement Use Cases | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Integrations: Okta, Entra ID, SaaS & AI | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Identity Policy Enforcement & Compliance | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Identity Enforcement for Fintech & NIS2/DORA | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Identity Enforcement for E-commerce | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

Pillar Security full record

  1. [1]pillar.securityPillar Security · pillar.security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Pillar Security | Securing the Agentic WorkforcePillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Pillar Security Platform | Securing the Entire AI Software LifecyclePillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]AI Discovery & Posture | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]AI Red Teaming & Risk Detection | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]AI Runtime Guardrails | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Agentic Endpoint: Secure AI Coding Agents | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AI Security Solutions | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]AI Governance & Compliance | Pillar SecurityPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Deployment Options: Cloud, Self-Hosted, Hybrid · PillarPillar Security · undated page, accessed November 11, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Vanta to Acquire Pillar Security to Turn AI Policy Into PracticeBusiness Wire · published November 9, 2026 · Tier A

Spot a factual error? Request a correction.