CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Cygrid vs Zenity

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. Zenity sells an AI agent security platform built to govern how agents behave, not just what they say or generate. CISO Tribune files both under AI governance. 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.

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  • Cygrid
  • Zenity
Cygrid vs Zenity: 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.ioZenityZenity sells an AI agent security platform built to govern how agents behave, not just what they say or generate.zenity.io
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.
  • AI Observability[5]Builds a live inventory of every agent across an organization's environment and tracks the data those agents access.
  • AI Security Posture Management (AISPM)[7]Evaluates configuration, permissions, and integrations before an agent goes live.
  • Boundaries[4][6][8]Evaluates every agent action in real time against an organization's rules and decides to let it through, block it, or shut the agent down.
  • AI Detection and Response (AIDR)[9]AIDR reads the full sequence of an agent's activity, detecting threats mapped to the OWASP LLM and MITRE ATLAS frameworks.
  • Zenity Security Assessment Hub[13]A set of 10 free, open-source tools built by Zenity Labs to help security teams identify and understand immediate risks.
Categories
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany[2]Not stated on its pages
Founded
2026[2][3]2021[2]
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesPrivately held[3][6][17]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
Not stated on its pages
  • September 23, 2026Zenity was named a Market Shaper in Gartner's inaugural Emerging Market Quadrant for AI Application Security.[15]
  • August 3, 2026Zenity announced a $125 million Series C round led by Norwest.[14]
  • June 17, 2026Zenity and Carahsoft announced a partnership under which Carahsoft serves as Zenity's Public Sector distributor.[17]
  • March 17, 2026Zenity announced general availability of runtime security controls for AI agents built on Microsoft Foundry.[16]
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.Zenity describes a global financial services firm and a global asset manager as organizations that write policy rules for agents. Zenity covers agents embedded in SaaS tools, home-grown agentic platforms in the cloud, and end-user devices. Zenity gives security and platform teams a single place to surface, enforce, and protect MCP usage.
Last verified
October 23, 2026November 9, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Cygrid and Zenity are both filed under AI governance.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Cygrid's primary category is Non-human identity security; Zenity's is AI model and agent security.
  • Cygrid is also filed under AI firewalls and guardrails and Identity threat detection and response.
  • Cygrid lists Identity Intelligence Graph and MCP Gateway. Zenity lists AI Observability, AI Security Posture Management (AISPM), Boundaries, AI Detection and Response (AIDR) and Zenity Security Assessment Hub.
  • Cygrid is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
  • Cygrid was founded in 2026. Zenity was founded in 2021.
  • Zenity is privately held.

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: Zenity

What AI Observability does[5]
AI Observability is Zenity's discovery and visibility layer for AI agents. Data Lens surfaces sensitive files and pages that are both frequently accessed and broadly exposed across agents.
What AI Security Posture Management (AISPM) does[7]
AISPM evaluates configuration and permissions for agents embedded in platforms like Microsoft Copilot Studio, ChatGPT Enterprise, and Salesforce Agentforce. AISPM applies stricter enforcement in production and more flexible policy in development or sandbox environments.
What Boundaries does[4][6][8]
Boundaries is Zenity's runtime enforcement engine. A rule written once in Boundaries is enforced on Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise, Agentforce, Bedrock, coding agents, and homegrown builds. Boundaries includes a built-in AI assistant that turns a plain-language request into a working rule.
What AI Detection and Response (AIDR) does[9]
AI Detection and Response (AIDR) is Zenity's runtime security layer for AI agents. AIDR detects direct and indirect prompt injection and blocks execution before the agent acts on them. AIDR breaks every agent interaction into individual steps and groups them by thread in a single activity table.
What Zenity Security Assessment Hub does[13]
The Zenity Security Assessment Hub is built by Zenity Labs. The tools take a Red-Team approach to visualize threats across Microsoft 365, with a focus on 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and Power Platform.

Questions about Cygrid and Zenity

What do Cygrid and Zenity sell?
Cygrid sells Identity Intelligence Graph and MCP Gateway. Zenity sells AI Observability, AI Security Posture Management (AISPM), Boundaries, AI Detection and Response (AIDR) and Zenity Security Assessment Hub.
Are Cygrid and Zenity in the same category?
They share AI governance. Cygrid's primary category is Non-human identity security and Zenity's is AI model and agent security.
Where are Cygrid and Zenity headquartered?
Cygrid is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
When were Cygrid and Zenity founded?
Cygrid was founded in 2026. Zenity was founded in 2021.
Who owns Cygrid and Zenity?
Zenity is privately held.
Who are Cygrid and Zenity sold to?
Finance teams whose AI agents work with ledger and bank data are among the audiences it addresses. Zenity describes a global financial services firm and a global asset manager as organizations that write policy rules for agents.
What have Cygrid and Zenity announced recently?
September 23, 2026: Zenity was named a Market Shaper in Gartner's inaugural Emerging Market Quadrant for AI Application Security.

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

Zenity full record

  1. [1]AI Agent Security and Governance | Zenity AI Security PlatformZenity · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Zenity announces strategic investment led by m12Zenity · zenity.io · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Zenity raises 38m series b funding round to secure agentic aiZenity · zenity.io · published October 29, 2024 · Tier A
  4. [4]AI Agent Security & Governance Platform for the Enterprise | ZenityZenity · undated page, accessed October 30, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]AI Observability | Zenity AI Security PlatformZenity · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]AI Agent Security | Model Context Protocol (MCP) | ZenityZenity · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]AI Security Posture Management | Zenity AI Security PlatformZenity · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Runtime Boundaries | Zenity AI Security PlatformZenity · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]AI Detection and Response (AIDRZenity · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Agentic Identity & Access Management: Zenity AI Security PlatformZenity · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Securing Financial Services AI | Zenity, Microsoft & SlalomZenity · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Company | Zenity | Secure AI Agents EverywhereZenity · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Zenity Security Assessment Hub | Zenity | Secure AI Agents EverywhereZenity · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Zenity Raises $125 Million to Secure the Era of 1 Billion AI AgentsZenity · published August 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Zenity Named a Market Shaper in Gartner’s Inaugural Emerging Market Quadrant for AI Application SecurityZenity · published September 23, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Zenity Announces Availability of Inline Agent Runtime Security for Agents Built on Microsoft FoundryZenity · published March 17, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Zenity and Carahsoft Bring AI Agent Security and Governance to Federal, State and Local AgenciesZenity · published June 17, 2026 · Tier A

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