CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Dispersive Stealth Networking vs Illumio

Dispersive Stealth Networking, from Dispersive Holdings, Inc., is a preemptive cybersecurity platform that makes data in motion invisible, resilient, and fully under an organization's control. Illumio is a security company that sells the Illumio Breach Containment Platform, which includes Illumio Insights and Illumio Segmentation for hybrid and multi-cloud environments. CISO Tribune files both under Microsegmentation. 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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  • Dispersive Stealth Networking
  • Illumio
Dispersive Stealth Networking vs Illumio: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
Dispersive Stealth NetworkingDispersive Stealth Networking, from Dispersive Holdings, Inc., is a preemptive cybersecurity platform that makes data in motion invisible, resilient, and fully under an organization's control.dispersive.ioIllumioIllumio is a security company that sells the Illumio Breach Containment Platform, which includes Illumio Insights and Illumio Segmentation for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.illumio.com
What it sells
  • Dispersive® Stealth NetworkingA software overlay that fragments traffic across dynamic paths. It runs on the infrastructure a customer already operates.
  • DispersiveCloud™A hosted SaaS deployment of Dispersive. It runs on global cloud infrastructure.
  • DispersiveFabric™The self-hosted deployment of Dispersive. The customer runs and controls every component.
  • Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE)[5]Splits and secures traffic across multiple invisible paths. It is described as tunnel-free.
  • Illumio Segmentation[1][5][7][14]Visualizes communication between workloads and devices and creates segmentation policies that allow only trusted connections across endpoints, servers, cloud and containers.
  • Illumio Insights[1][5][7][17]Builds a graph of network connections across environments to identify lateral movement and support real-time observability of traffic.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesSunnyvale, United States[4]
Founded
Not stated on its pages2013[2]
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
  • September 2, 2026Dispersive Stealth Networking announced an expansion of its partner-led go-to-market capacity, citing rising demand for AI communications protection and post-quantum readiness.[9]
  • March 19, 2026Illumio announced enhancements to Illumio Insights, led by the introduction of Network Posture.[17]
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: listed, seen October 25, 2026[6]
Who it fits
Its pages describe protected remote access and control traffic for energy, utilities, and industrial operations. Security for the AI communication layer is described for agents, inference calls, and data moving between models, tools, and GPUs. The self-hosted deployment is built for larger, more complex environments, where the customer runs and controls every component.From its own pages, Illumio sells mainly to organisations running hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Illumio publishes pages for financial services, energy and utilities, healthcare, government, manufacturing, telecom, and small and midsize businesses. Illumio says it helps financial institutions, utility operators, and telecom providers. Illumio also says its platform is built to be fast, simple, and flexible for small and midsize businesses.
Last verified
September 30, 2026September 27, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Dispersive Stealth Networking and Illumio are both filed under Microsegmentation.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Dispersive Stealth Networking's primary category is SASE and SSE; Illumio's is Microsegmentation.
  • Dispersive Stealth Networking is also filed under Zero trust network access and Post-quantum cryptography. Illumio is also filed under Network visibility and traffic brokering.
  • Dispersive Stealth Networking lists Dispersive® Stealth Networking, DispersiveCloud™, DispersiveFabric™ and Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE). Illumio lists Illumio Segmentation and Illumio Insights.
  • Illumio is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States.
  • Illumio was founded in 2013.

What it sells: Dispersive Stealth Networking

What Dispersive® Stealth Networking does
It secures the communication paths that connect users, applications, agents, models, and infrastructure. Post-quantum protection extends across the data plane and the control plane. Dispersive runs over transport including internet, 5G, VSAT, MPLS, and cloud backbone.
What DispersiveCloud™ does
DispersiveCloud is a hosted SaaS deployment and is SOC 2 Type II certified. It runs on global cloud infrastructure from providers including Amazon Web Services and Azure. DispersiveCloud is a cloud-native deployment that integrates into hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
What DispersiveFabric™ does
DispersiveFabric is the self-hosted deployment, built for larger, more complex environments, where the customer runs and controls every component. It is a software-defined overlay network with a microservices architecture. DispersiveFabric deploys on public cloud, private cloud, containers, VMs, or dedicated hardware.
What Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE) does[5]
Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE) dynamically splits and secures traffic across multiple invisible paths. It delivers stealth networking and tunnel-free connectivity. Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE) can augment or fully replace SD-WAN. Deployment options include software, virtual, container and hardware based gateways and endpoint software for remote users and data scientists.

Questions about Dispersive Stealth Networking and Illumio

What do Dispersive Stealth Networking and Illumio sell?
Dispersive Stealth Networking sells Dispersive® Stealth Networking, DispersiveCloud™, DispersiveFabric™ and Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE). Illumio sells Illumio Segmentation and Illumio Insights.
Are Dispersive Stealth Networking and Illumio in the same category?
They share Microsegmentation. Dispersive Stealth Networking's primary category is SASE and SSE and Illumio's is Microsegmentation.
Where are Dispersive Stealth Networking and Illumio headquartered?
Illumio is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States.
When were Dispersive Stealth Networking and Illumio founded?
Illumio was founded in 2013.
Who are Dispersive Stealth Networking and Illumio sold to?
Its pages describe protected remote access and control traffic for energy, utilities, and industrial operations. From its own pages, Illumio sells mainly to organisations running hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
What have Dispersive Stealth Networking and Illumio announced recently?
September 2, 2026: Dispersive Stealth Networking announced an expansion of its partner-led go-to-market capacity, citing rising demand for AI communications protection and post-quantum readiness. March 19, 2026: Illumio announced enhancements to Illumio Insights, led by the introduction of Network Posture.

About Dispersive Stealth Networking

Dispersive Stealth Networking, from Dispersive Holdings, Inc., is a preemptive cybersecurity platform that makes data in motion invisible, resilient, and fully under an organization's control. Dispersive Stealth Networking secures the communication paths that connect users, applications, agents, models, and infrastructure. Dispersive is a software overlay that runs on the infrastructure an organization already operates.[4][6]

Dispersive Stealth Networking fragments traffic across dynamic, non-deterministic paths. Dispersive Stealth Networking hides data in motion by splitting, encrypting, and obfuscating traffic across multiple diverse network paths simultaneously. Data streams are split at the authenticated source and re-addressed with a Dispersive header, so that traffic follows different network paths based on instructions from the Dispersive Controller. The underlying IP networks deliver these packets to Dispersive software nodes known as Data Deflects. The authenticated destination reassembles the split packet streams and strips out the Dispersive header information before passing the original packet to the receiving application. Dispersive paths roll during transmission rather than failing over after a break. Dispersive runs over transport including internet, 5G, VSAT, MPLS, and cloud backbone.[1][4]

Each fragment in Dispersive Stealth Networking is protected with layered encryption, including the NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms ML-KEM and ML-DSA. Dispersive Stealth Networking uses FIPS 140-3 validated cryptographic modules. Post-quantum protection in Dispersive Stealth Networking extends across the data plane and the control plane. Dispersive architecture aligns with NIST-approved post-quantum cryptographic standards, including ML-KEM.[1][4][6][7]

Dispersive Stealth Networking secures the AI communication layer directly, across the full stack. Dispersive uses TLS fingerprint mitigation so that sensitive traffic blends into ordinary web communications. URL filtering in Dispersive Stealth Networking gives operators control over which destinations agents, users, and applications can reach. Dispersive operates after authentication, on the transport plane, and determines how the resulting traffic moves. Dispersive extends zero trust and SASE controls instead of competing with them. Dispersive isolates sensitive applications, users, and devices within micro-segmented environments. Dispersive integrates with Okta, AD, Entra, and other identity providers to enforce access controls.[4][10][11]

DispersiveCloud is a hosted SaaS deployment and is SOC 2 Type II certified. DispersiveCloud runs on global cloud infrastructure from providers including Amazon Web Services and Azure. DispersiveFabric is the self-hosted deployment, built for larger, more complex environments, where the customer runs and controls every component. DispersiveFabric is a software-defined overlay network with a microservices architecture that deploys on public cloud, private cloud, containers, VMs, or dedicated hardware. Customers decide whether Dispersive hosts the control plane or their own team runs it. Some organizations use Dispersive to retire specific components, such as legacy VPN or SD-WAN.[4][12]

Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE) dynamically splits and secures traffic across multiple invisible paths. Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE) secures the underlying transport layer of a SASE stack. Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE) can augment or fully replace SD-WAN. Trusted Cloud Edge (TCE) offers software, virtual, container and hardware based gateways and endpoint software for remote users and data scientists.[5]

Dispersive uses path selection across fiber, cellular, satellite, and other transports to sustain mission applications through disconnected, denied, intermittent, and limited-bandwidth (DDIL) conditions. Dispersive offers a software-only gateway that deploys on mission-approved or customer-furnished hardware without proprietary appliance dependencies. Dispersive's adaptive communications architecture is fielded across five mission areas. Dispersive covers rapid, ephemeral coalition and mission-partner connections with fast provisioning and equally fast revocation. Select federal programs, including the Department of Homeland Security, rely on Dispersive to maintain mission-critical communications in contested, remote, or degraded environments.[6][7]

Financial services and other regulated institutions use Dispersive to secure sensitive data in motion across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Dispersive Stealth Networking includes a production edge deployment with American Tower in collaboration with Vertical Data.[6][12]

Dispersive's core architecture originated in U.S. Department of Defense programs. Dispersive holds 53 granted patents covering multipath fragmentation, dynamic path selection, independent per-channel encryption, and stealth transport. Dispersive is an AWS ISV-A partner, available on the AWS Commercial Marketplace and the AWS IC Marketplace. Dispersive Stealth Networking is built on a multi-path, quantum-resilient architecture that is FIPS 140-3 compliant.[1][2][4][5][6][7][8][10][12]

Dispersive Stealth Networking on the record

Sources

Dispersive Stealth Networking full record

  1. [1]dispersive.ioDispersive · dispersive.io · undated page, accessed September 30, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Our partnersDispersive · dispersive.io · undated page, accessed September 30, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Dispersive Stealth Networking | Secure, Resilient CommunicationsDispersive Stealth Networking · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Quantum-Resilient Stealth Networking | DispersiveDispersive Stealth Networking · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Trusted Cloud Edge | Secure the Gaps Between Cloud, Edge, and UsersDispersive Stealth Networking · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]About Dispersive | Cyber-Resilient Network Infrastructure in the AI EraDispersive Stealth Networking · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Defense Network Security SolutionsDispersive Stealth Networking · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Financial Services Security | Secure Transactions & Data ProtectionDispersive Stealth Networking · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Dispersive Expands Partner-Led Growth and National Security Engagement as Demand Accelerates for Quantum-Resilient Stealth NetworkingBusiness Wire · published September 2, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Dispersive Zero Trust | Advanced Security for Digital InfrastructureDispersive Holdings, Inc. · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Zero Trust Academy | Master Zero Trust SecurityDispersive Holdings, Inc. · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Request a Demo | See Dispersive in ActionDispersive Holdings, Inc. · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

Illumio full record

  1. [1]Illumio platformIllumio · illumio.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]About illumioIllumio · illumio.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Illumio delivers agentless visibility and breach containment for hybrid environmentsIllumio · illumio.com · published February 26, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]ContactIllumio · illumio.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Breach Containment & Cloud Detection and Response | IllumioIllumio · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Illumio Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier C
  7. [7]Zero Trust Solutions | Illumioillumio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Hybrid Cloud Security Solutions | IllumioIllumio · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Segmentation for Financial Services | Illumioillumio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Energy Infrastructure and Utility Security | Illumioillumio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Zero Trust Healthcare Solutions | Illumioillumio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Regulatory Compliance Solutions | Illumioillumio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Cybersecurity Solutions - Zero Trust Microsegmentation | Illumioillumio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Manufacturingillumio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Telecom Network Security | Illumio Breach Containmentillumio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Small Business Cybersecurity Solutions | Illumioillumio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Illumio Defines Breach Containment for the AI EraIllumio · published March 19, 2026 · Tier A

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