CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

DefenseStorm vs Dispel

DefenseStorm sells a cyber risk management platform designed exclusively for U.S. banks and credit unions. Dispel sells OT secure remote access, connecting vendors, OEMs, and operators to critical systems and data. CISO Tribune files both under MDR and managed SOC. 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.

  • DefenseStorm
  • Dispel
DefenseStorm vs Dispel: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
DefenseStormDefenseStorm sells a cyber risk management platform designed exclusively for U.S. banks and credit unions.defensestorm.comDispelDispel sells OT secure remote access, connecting vendors, OEMs, and operators to critical systems and data.dispel.com
What it sells
  • Collaborative SOC[1][2]A 24X7 SOC of banking-fluent cybersecurity analysts.
  • GRID Active[1][2][4][8][9]DefenseStorm's intelligent data engine.
  • GRID Active Threat Surveillance[4]Gathers and analyzes data from many sources and identifies threats in the customer's environment.
  • GRID Active Risk Assessment and Governance Package[8]Aligns an institution's risk and governance to evidence the effectiveness of control in its risk assessment.
  • GRID Active Reporting[4]Reporting for financial institutions based on consistent metrics.
  • Vulnerability Management Services[4]An option integrated with the GRID Active platform.
  • Dispel Zero Trust Engine[3][6][7][11]Dispel Zero Trust Engine replaces jump servers, VPNs, and IT PAM tools.
  • Dispel Intelligence[8][15]Dispel Intelligence pulls existing Nozomi or Dragos device risk data directly into the access decision.
  • Dispel Identity[9]Dispel Identity adds IAL2 through government ID validation and a biometric match.
  • Dispel Compliance[10]Dispel Compliance scores live configuration against NERC CIP, NIST, IEC 62443, and NIS2 simultaneously.
  • Industrial Data Streaming[11]Secure, real-time transfer and industrial data integration.
  • Dispel OTFusion[12]A patented OT consolidation solution.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
Not stated on its pages
  • October 19, 2026Dispel launched a solution for OEMs and machine builders who deliver remote service directly to their industrial customers' equipment.[16]
  • September 14, 2026Dispel opened its Community Power & Water Program at the American Public Power Association's Cybersecurity & Technology Summit in San Antonio.[14]
  • June 17, 2026Dispel announced general availability of Site Console.[13]
  • May 14, 2026Dispel announced general availability of Session Forensics with Dynamic Risk Scoring, the first capability within Dispel Intelligence.[15]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen October 31, 2026[3]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 4, 2026[17]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
DefenseStorm describes its solution as designed for the cyber threat and compliance demands facing the financial services industry. DefenseStorm describes solutions designed for the needs of banks and credit unions and for efficiencies at community financial institutions. DefenseStorm's co-managed approach lets customer teams view configuration logs while DefenseStorm cybersecurity experts monitor the environment 24/7.From its own pages, Dispel sells mainly to industrial organizations in manufacturing, utilities, and energy. Dispel says it connects operators, contractors, and vendors to ICS and OT systems. Dispel describes cloud, on-prem, and hybrid deployment, and deployments for regulated utilities. Dispel describes multi-site industrial organizations as a setting for its OTFusion solution.
Last verified
September 30, 2026November 9, 2026

Where they overlap

  • DefenseStorm and Dispel are both filed under MDR and managed SOC.

Where they differ, field by field

  • DefenseStorm's primary category is MDR and managed SOC; Dispel's is Zero trust network access.
  • DefenseStorm is also filed under SIEM, EDR and XDR and Compliance automation. Dispel is also filed under OT and ICS security and Unidirectional gateways and secure transfer.
  • DefenseStorm lists Collaborative SOC, GRID Active, GRID Active Threat Surveillance, GRID Active Risk Assessment and Governance Package, GRID Active Reporting and 1 more. Dispel lists Dispel Zero Trust Engine, Dispel Intelligence, Dispel Identity, Dispel Compliance, Industrial Data Streaming and 1 more.

What it sells: DefenseStorm

What Collaborative SOC does[1][2]
A US-based, senior banking-fluent cybersecurity analyst collaborates with the customer on a case, 24x7x365. DefenseStorm analysts work alongside AI-enhanced triage to investigate with banking context.
What GRID Active does[1][2][4][8][9]
GRID Active unifies threat operations, risk intelligence, governance, and AI. Seven Built for Banking (B4B) AI Principles govern every AI capability inside GRID Active. Customers can add EDR functionality and Vulnerability Management Services, both integrated with the GRID Active platform.
What GRID Active Threat Surveillance does[4]
GRID Active Threat Surveillance gathers and analyzes data from all types of sources, technology, tools, and systems and identifies threats in the customer's environment. GRID Active Threat Surveillance includes an Incident Similarity feature that applies machine learning to incident monitoring and management.
What GRID Active Risk Assessment and Governance Package does[8]
GRID Active Risk Assessment and Governance Package aligns an institution's risk and governance to evidence the effectiveness of control in its risk assessment. Institutions can filter risk assessments to create smaller assessments such as an eBanking risk assessment, or one large information security risk assessment encompassing all risks in the register. Pre-mapped Task Schedule templates schedule program activities, and the activities map into framework and self-assessment directives as evidence.
What GRID Active Reporting does[4]
GRID Active Reporting supports decision-making by financial institutions through consistent metrics. Financial institutions can customize reports based on audience and timing.
What Vulnerability Management Services does[4]
Customers can add Vulnerability Management Services, integrated with the GRID Active platform, to their cybersecurity risk management solution. DefenseStorm vulnerability scanning lets customers assess their system and discover weaknesses an adversary may be able to exploit.

What it sells: Dispel

What Dispel Zero Trust Engine does[3][6][7][11]
Dispel Zero Trust Engine replaces jump servers, VPNs, and IT PAM tools. Dispel delivers a tiered connection suite with Browser Connect, Virtual Desktop, and Local Application options tailored to every user. Dispel Zero Trust Engine can be deployed in cloud, on-prem, and hybrid models.
What Dispel Intelligence does[8][15]
Session Forensics and Dynamic Risk Scoring are built into the same remote access session. Dispel tracks AAL at every login, with 11-signal risk scoring that surfaces anomalies in real time.
What Dispel Identity does[9]
Government ID validation, liveness check, and biometric match confirm a real, verified person, meeting NIST IAL2. Dispel Identity works with Microsoft Entra, Okta, PingIdentity, SAML, OIDC, and hybrid environments.
What Dispel Compliance does[10]
Dispel exports timestamped evidence as an OSCAL Component Definition, plus CSV and PDF summaries. Dispel lists supported frameworks as NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, NERC CIP, IEC 62443-3-3, NIS2 (EU 2024/2690), NIST CSF 2.0, and SANS ICS 5 Critical Controls.
What Industrial Data Streaming does[11]
Dispel says Industrial Data Streaming enables secure, real-time transfer and industrial data integration across operational, diagnostic, and system-level sources. The Dispel Zero Trust Engine provides an Industrial Data Streaming solution.
What Dispel OTFusion does[12]
Dispel OTFusion is a patented OT consolidation solution that unifies applications, operating systems, and services into a single secure environment. Dispel says customers can start with a single application or data stream and scale as results come in.

Questions about DefenseStorm and Dispel

What do DefenseStorm and Dispel sell?
DefenseStorm sells Collaborative SOC, GRID Active, GRID Active Threat Surveillance, GRID Active Risk Assessment and Governance Package, GRID Active Reporting and 1 more. Dispel sells Dispel Zero Trust Engine, Dispel Intelligence, Dispel Identity, Dispel Compliance, Industrial Data Streaming and 1 more.
Are DefenseStorm and Dispel in the same category?
They share MDR and managed SOC. DefenseStorm's primary category is MDR and managed SOC and Dispel's is Zero trust network access.
Who are DefenseStorm and Dispel sold to?
DefenseStorm describes its solution as designed for the cyber threat and compliance demands facing the financial services industry. From its own pages, Dispel sells mainly to industrial organizations in manufacturing, utilities, and energy.
What have DefenseStorm and Dispel announced recently?
October 19, 2026: Dispel launched a solution for OEMs and machine builders who deliver remote service directly to their industrial customers' equipment.

About DefenseStorm

DefenseStorm sells a cyber risk management platform designed exclusively for U.S. banks and credit unions. DefenseStorm backs its platform with a 24X7 Collaborative SOC of banking-fluent cybersecurity analysts. DefenseStorm cites 200+ banks and credit unions alongside 16,000+ banking-specific controls mapped across industry control frameworks, regulatory guidance, and exam procedures.[1]

DefenseStorm governs its AI capabilities with seven Built for Banking AI Principles, mapped to NIST AI RMF and CRI FS AI RMF. DefenseStorm states that every AI output is explainable to a non-technical professional. DefenseStorm describes AI capability as growing step by step, under explicit policy, with human-in-the-loop boundaries. DefenseStorm says 12 years of banking-only threat patterns, examiner expectations, and industry control frameworks inform every AI output.[1]

DefenseStorm offers managed detection and response (MDR) built for the attack patterns, industry control frameworks, and operational realities of financial institutions. DefenseStorm states that a US-based, senior banking-fluent cybersecurity analyst collaborates with the customer on a case, 24x7x365. DefenseStorm analysts work alongside AI-enhanced triage to investigate with banking context and generate structured evidence for governance reporting. DefenseStorm describes a co-managed approach in which customers view configuration logs showing how their environment is monitored 24/7 by DefenseStorm cybersecurity experts.[4]

GRID Active Threat Surveillance gathers and analyzes data from all types of sources, technology, tools, and systems and identifies threats in the customer's environment. GRID Active Threat Surveillance now includes an Incident Similarity feature that applies machine learning to incident monitoring and management. Customers can add EDR functionality and Vulnerability Management Services, both integrated with the GRID Active platform, to their cybersecurity risk management solution. DefenseStorm vulnerability scanning lets customers assess their system and discover weaknesses an adversary may be able to exploit. Employee Activity Monitoring is included with Threat Surveillance and monitors user access, permissions and actions. DefenseStorm integrations can include tools for intrusion detection, firewalls, threat intelligence platforms, and identity and access management systems. DefenseStorm has a team of cybersecurity experts covering implementation, product training and ongoing platform support. A DefenseStorm security engineer who began in 2020 developed DefenseStorm's EDR Service. DefenseStorm appointed its Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence in 2022, and that role is responsible for nearly all facets of the EDR service. DefenseStorm uploads IOCs related to a vulnerability into its ThreatMatch Feed.[1][4][5][6]

DefenseStorm turns every alert, investigation, and decision into structured evidence mapped to CRI Profile, NIST CSF 2.0, and exam procedures. DefenseStorm offers continuous control monitoring across 16,000+ controls. DefenseStorm risk scoring is shaped by real alerts and incidents. DefenseStorm governance aligns to FFIEC examination procedures, GLBA Safeguards requirements, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (including CSF 2.0), NCUA expectations, and the CRI Profile.[7]

GRID Active Risk Assessment and Governance Package aligns an institution's risk and governance to evidence the effectiveness of control in its risk assessment. GRID Active Risk Assessment and Governance Package lets institutions filter risk assessments to create smaller assessments such as an eBanking risk assessment, or one large information security risk assessment encompassing all risks in the register. Pre-mapped Task Schedule templates schedule program activities, and the activities map into framework and self-assessment directives as evidence. DefenseStorm lets customers schedule governance and monitoring activities to align with their cyber security compliance program cadences. GRID Active Reporting lets financial institutions customize reports based on audience and timing. DefenseStorm's governance product is integration-ready across core banking, digital banking, authentication, and cloud platforms.[1][4][7][8]

DefenseStorm unifies threat operations, risk intelligence, governance, and AI in GRID Active, its intelligent data engine. DefenseStorm states that one provider replaces separate SIEM, EDR, SOC, risk assessment, vulnerability management, brand management, security awareness training, and governance tools. DefenseStorm runs risk and governance on the same platform as its threat operations. DefenseStorm's governance product connects cyber risk assessments, control monitoring, evidence collection, and board reporting into one continuous program.[7]

DefenseStorm describes its solution as co-managed, cloud-based and compliance-automated, designed specifically for the cyber threat and compliance demands facing the financial services industry.[1][4][7]

DefenseStorm on the record

Sources

DefenseStorm full record

  1. [1]defensestorm.comDefenseStorm · defensestorm.com · undated page, accessed September 30, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Cyber Risk Management Platform for Banks | DefenseStormDefenseStorm · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]DefenseStorm Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier C
  4. [4]Threat Detection for Financial InstitutionsDefenseStorm · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Evolve Bank and Trust Breach - DefenseStormDefenseStorm · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Barracuda ESG Vulnerability CVE-2023-2868 Reported - DefenseStormDefenseStorm · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Cyber Risk Management for Financial Institutions | DefenseStormDefenseStorm · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Cyber Security Risk and Governance for Financial InstitutionsDefenseStorm · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Executive Leadership at DefenseStormDefenseStorm · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

Dispel full record

  1. [1]dispel.comDispel · dispel.com · undated page, accessed October 7, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Dispel celebrates 2025 fastest growing cybersecurity company as ot secure remote access demand growsDispel · dispel.com · published March 26, 2025 · Tier A
  3. [3]Press dispel fedramp 20x zero trust governmentDispel · dispel.com · published July 22, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]OT Secure Remote Access for Industrial Operations | DispelDispel · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Secure Remote Access for ICS & OT | Dispel SolutionsDispel · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Dispel Zero Trust Engine | OT Secure Remote Access PlatformDispel · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Wicket Industrial Gateway | DispelDispel · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Continuous Risk Scoring for OT Secure Remote Access | DispelDispel · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Identity Verification for OT Remote Access | Dispel IdentityDispel · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Continuous Compliance for OT Secure Remote Access | DispelDispel · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Industrial Data Streaming for OT & ICS | Real-Time Secure Data Transfer | Dispel SolutionsDispel · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]OTFusion — OT Digital Transformation & Multi-Site Consolidation | DispelDispel · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Dispel Launches Site Console, Delivering On-Premises OT Remote Access for NERC CIP and Air-Gapped EnvironmentsDispel · published June 17, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Dispel Launches Community Power & Water Program at APPA Cybersecurity & Technology SummitDispel · published September 14, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Dispel Launches Session Forensics, Bringing Real-Time Dynamic Risk Scoring to OT Remote Access as AI Threats EscalateDispel · published May 14, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Dispel Introduces Dispel Zero Trust Engine for OEMs to Standardize Secure Remote Service at ScaleDispel · published October 19, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Dispel Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier C
  18. [18]Features | DispelDispel · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]Wicket Hardware Form Factor | DispelDispel · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  20. [20]Wicket Software Form Factor | DispelDispel · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A

Spot a factual error? Request a correction.