CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

DefenseStorm vs Fortinet

DefenseStorm sells a cyber risk management platform designed exclusively for U.S. banks and credit unions. Fortinet sells cybersecurity and networking technology to enterprises, service providers, and government organizations. CISO Tribune files both under SIEM and EDR and XDR. 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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  • DefenseStorm
  • Fortinet
DefenseStorm vs Fortinet: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
DefenseStormDefenseStorm sells a cyber risk management platform designed exclusively for U.S. banks and credit unions.defensestorm.comFortinetFortinet sells cybersecurity and networking technology to enterprises, service providers, and government organizations.fortinet.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.
  • FortiWeb[18]FortiWeb protects web applications and APIs.
  • FortiAP[17]FortiAP provides secure wireless LAN access points.
  • FortiManager[12][19]FortiManager is a NOC-SOC operations tool.
  • FortiSIEM[12][16]FortiSIEM is Fortinet’s SIEM solution.
  • FortiSandbox[16]FortiSandbox provides AI-powered protection against zero-day threats.
  • Unified SASE[1][11]Fortinet Unified SASE combines networking with AI-aware controls.
  • FortiAIGate[11]FortiAIGate secures AI apps and agents.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesSunnyvale, United States
Founded
Not stated on its pages2000[4]
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesPublic (NASDAQ: FTNT)[2][9][12][13][17][20][22]
Named customers
Not stated on its pages
  • IHG Hotels & Resorts[5]
  • Alaska Airlines[6]
  • IndiGo[7]
  • University of Birmingham[8]
Recent news
Not stated on its pages
  • August 17, 2026Fortinet announced it has acquired Virtue AI, a company focused on AI runtime protection, automated AI validation, and security for autonomous AI systems.[20]
  • August 17, 2026Fortinet acquired Virtue AI, a company offering AI runtime protection and automated validation for autonomous AI systems.[9]
  • July 29, 2026Fortinet reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $2.05 billion, up 26% year over year.[2]
  • June 24, 2026Fortinet appointed Derek Kan to its board of directors.[21]
  • May 6, 2026Fortinet reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $1.85 billion, up 20% year over year.[10]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen October 31, 2026[3]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: listed, seen November 3, 2026[22]
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, Fortinet sells mainly to enterprises, service providers, and government organizations. Its firewall pages describe deployments across data centers, branch offices, and multi-cloud environments. Wireless products are described for campuses, remote workers, and large public venues such as stadiums and arenas.
Last verified
September 30, 2026November 9, 2026

Where they overlap

  • DefenseStorm and Fortinet are both filed under SIEM and EDR and XDR.

Where they differ, field by field

  • DefenseStorm's primary category is MDR and managed SOC; Fortinet's is Firewalls and NGFW.
  • DefenseStorm is also filed under Compliance automation. Fortinet is also filed under SASE and SSE.
  • DefenseStorm lists Collaborative SOC, GRID Active, GRID Active Threat Surveillance, GRID Active Risk Assessment and Governance Package, GRID Active Reporting and 1 more. Fortinet lists FortiWeb, FortiAP, FortiManager, FortiSIEM, FortiSandbox and 2 more.
  • Fortinet is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States.
  • Fortinet was founded in 2000.
  • Fortinet is a public company listed on NASDAQ as FTNT.
  • Fortinet publicly names IHG Hotels & Resorts, Alaska Airlines, IndiGo and University of Birmingham.

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: Fortinet

What FortiWeb does[18]
FortiWeb protects business-critical web applications and APIs from emerging web-based threats. Its features include anomaly detection, API discovery and protection, bot mitigation, and client-side security. It comes in hardware, virtual machine, and SaaS form factors and is available in public cloud marketplaces.
What FortiAP does[17]
FortiAP integrates with the Fortinet SASE offering to support organizations securing microbranches. FortiAPs are available in models from 2x2 to 4x4, with internal or external antenna. Control can be done with FortiGate, FortiGate VM, FortiSASE, or FortiEdge Cloud.
What FortiManager does[12][19]
FortiManager is the NOC-SOC operations tool that was built with security perspective. It provides a single-pane-of-glass across the entire Fortinet Security Fabric.

Questions about DefenseStorm and Fortinet

What do DefenseStorm and Fortinet sell?
DefenseStorm sells Collaborative SOC, GRID Active, GRID Active Threat Surveillance, GRID Active Risk Assessment and Governance Package, GRID Active Reporting and 1 more. Fortinet sells FortiWeb, FortiAP, FortiManager, FortiSIEM, FortiSandbox and 2 more.
Are DefenseStorm and Fortinet in the same category?
They share SIEM and EDR and XDR. DefenseStorm's primary category is MDR and managed SOC and Fortinet's is Firewalls and NGFW.
Where are DefenseStorm and Fortinet headquartered?
Fortinet is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States.
When were DefenseStorm and Fortinet founded?
Fortinet was founded in 2000.
Who owns DefenseStorm and Fortinet?
Fortinet is a public company listed on NASDAQ as FTNT.
Which customers do DefenseStorm and Fortinet name?
Fortinet publicly names IHG Hotels & Resorts, Alaska Airlines, IndiGo and University of Birmingham.
Who are DefenseStorm and Fortinet sold to?
DefenseStorm describes its solution as designed for the cyber threat and compliance demands facing the financial services industry. From its own pages, Fortinet sells mainly to enterprises, service providers, and government organizations.
What have DefenseStorm and Fortinet announced recently?
August 17, 2026: Fortinet announced it has acquired Virtue AI, a company focused on AI runtime protection, automated AI validation, and security for autonomous AI systems.

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

Fortinet full record

  1. [1]fortinet.comFortinet · fortinet.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Fortinet reports strong second quarter 2026 financial resultsFortinet · fortinet.com · published July 29, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Ftnt 20241231Fortinet, Inc. via SEC EDGAR · sec.gov · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Press kitFortinet · fortinet.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]IHG Hotels & Resorts | Fortinet Case StudyFortinet · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Alaska airlinesFortinet · fortinet.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Indigo airlinesFortinet · fortinet.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]University of birminghamFortinet · fortinet.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Fortinet advances continuous ai protection with the acquisition of virtue aiFortinet · fortinet.com · published August 17, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Fortinet reports first quarter 2026 financial resultsFortinet · fortinet.com · published May 6, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Global Leader of Cybersecurity Solutions and Services | FortinetFortinet · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]FortiDLP Agent Hardware | Fortinet Document LibraryFortinet · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Fortinet Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier C
  14. [14]FortiGate / FortiOS | Fortinet Document LibraryFortinet Document Library · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Hybrid Mesh FirewallFortinet · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Products | Fortinet Products | Fortinet Product InformationFortinet · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Secure Wireless Access Points | FortinetFortinet · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Web Application Firewall (WAF) & API Protection | FortinetFortinet · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]FortiManager | Fortinet Document LibraryFortinet Document Library · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  20. [20]Fortinet Advances Continuous AI Protection with the Acquisition of Virtue AIFortinet, Inc. · published August 17, 2026 · Tier A
  21. [21]Fortinet Appoints Public Sector Leader and Tech Executive Derek Kan to Its Board of DirectorsFortinet · published June 24, 2026 · Tier A
  22. [22]Fortinet Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier C

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