CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Expel vs Forte Technologies

Expel sells managed detection and response (MDR) delivered through its Workbench platform, with 24x7 human analysts working in the security tools a customer already has. Forte Technologies sells managed IT, cybersecurity, private and public cloud, and compliance services. 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.

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  • Expel
  • Forte Technologies
Expel vs Forte Technologies: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
ExpelExpel sells managed detection and response (MDR) delivered through its Workbench platform, with 24x7 human analysts working in the security tools a customer already has.expel.comForte TechnologiesForte Technologies sells managed IT, cybersecurity, private and public cloud, and compliance services.fortetechnologies.com
What it sells
  • Expel MDR[5][7]A managed detection and response service that works with the security tools a customer already has.
  • Ruxie[3][5]Expel's AI and automation engine used in its MDR service.
  • Compliance[1][2][9]Audit-ready support for frameworks like CMMC, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, PCI, and SOC 2 Type I and II.
  • Cyber Assurance[1][7][8]A separate Forte team that reviews and signs off on security and compliance work.
  • vCISO[1][9]A dedicated virtual CISO who owns security and compliance posture.
  • Managed IT[2][4]Day-to-day IT operations, monitoring, and support.
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 pagesNot stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[4]
  • 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
Not written yetGrowing organizations with multiple locations are the stated audience for the Secure tier, and complex regulated environments are the audience for the Comply tier. The virtual CISO service speaks to mid-sized businesses, for which a full-time CISO is a hire most cannot justify. Cloud hosting ranges from private cloud on infrastructure Forte Technologies operates to hybrid arrangements with public cloud.
Last verified
September 27, 2026October 26, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Expel and Forte Technologies are both filed under MDR and managed SOC.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Expel's primary category is MDR and managed SOC; Forte Technologies's is Managed security service providers.
  • Forte Technologies is also filed under Security awareness training and Compliance automation.
  • Expel lists Expel MDR and Ruxie. Forte Technologies lists Compliance, Cyber Assurance, vCISO and Managed IT.

What it sells: Expel

What Expel MDR does[5][7]
Expel MDR provides 24x7 SOC monitoring, with analysts who investigate and respond. Expel says it connects to an existing stack and correlates threats across endpoint, identity, cloud, network, SaaS and more. Expel states a 14-minute mean time to remediate.
What Ruxie does[3][5]
Expel says Ruxie gathers evidence, enriches alerts and matches patterns in seconds. Expel analysts then investigate and make the critical calls.

What it sells: Forte Technologies

What Compliance does[1][2][9]
Framework alignment covers CMMC and NIST 800-171, HIPAA/HITECH, SOC 2 Type I and II, GDPR, PCI, FINRA, and more. Controls are documented and reporting is automated as systems run.
What Cyber Assurance does[1][7][8]
The Forte Cyber Assurance Team evaluates security and compliance posture separately from those who implement and operate the controls. Cyber Assurance stands on its own and reviews whoever runs the IT.
What vCISO does[1][9]
The service provides a named vCISO who knows the client environment, framework, and risk tolerance, through Comply or a standalone vCISO agreement. The vCISO leads, backed by certified ethical hackers, auditors, and information security experts.
What Managed IT does[2][4]
Device and user management covers onboarding, offboarding, patching, backup, and endpoint management. Support is remote-first, with field technicians dispatched when hands-on work is needed.

Questions about Expel and Forte Technologies

What do Expel and Forte Technologies sell?
Expel sells Expel MDR and Ruxie. Forte Technologies sells Compliance, Cyber Assurance, vCISO and Managed IT.
Are Expel and Forte Technologies in the same category?
They share MDR and managed SOC. Expel's primary category is MDR and managed SOC and Forte Technologies's is Managed security service providers.
Who are Expel and Forte Technologies sold to?
Growing organizations with multiple locations are the stated audience for the Secure tier, and complex regulated environments are the audience for the Comply tier.

About Expel

Expel sells managed detection and response (MDR) delivered through its Workbench platform, with 24x7 human analysts working in the security tools a customer already has. Expel says its service is built so that technology makes it fast and humans make it accurate.[5]

Expel describes the service as managed detection and response with analysts who can be reached directly over Slack or Teams. Expel says customers connect Workbench to their existing stack, and Expel then correlates threats across endpoint, identity, cloud, network, SaaS and more. Expel says no agents need to be deployed and no rip-and-replace is required.[5]

Ruxie is the name Expel gives its AI and automation engine. Expel says Ruxie gathers evidence, enriches alerts and matches patterns so that Expel analysts can investigate and make the critical calls. Expel states a 14-minute mean time to remediate for its MDR service.[5]

Expel Workbench is the platform through which customers see Expel's work. Expel says customers can see every investigation and response in real time inside Workbench.[5]

Expel says its MDR covers cloud, endpoint, identity, network, SaaS, email and more, across more than 160 technology integrations. Expel names Microsoft, AWS, Google Cloud, CrowdStrike, Okta and Wiz among those integrations.[5][10]

Expel also offers email threat detection and response, in which Expel says it monitors the email environment 24x7. Expel says this works alongside Proofpoint, Mimecast, Abnormal Security and Sublime. Expel also describes MDR coverage of the AI attack surface, covering attacker use of AI, employee misuse of AI tools and attacks on customer-built AI systems, with detections mapped to MITRE ATLAS.[6][7]

Expel was started by practitioners. Dave Merkel is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Justin Bajko is a co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, and Yanek Korff is a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. Greg Notch is Chief Technology Officer.[8]

2. Expel says Workbench infrastructure runs on GCP and AWS in the U.S, and that alert data is retained up to 15 months, configurable per contract.[1][2][5][9]

Expel on the record

Sources

Expel full record

  1. [1]Workbench operations platformExpel · expel.com · published August 5, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Expel announces 20 million in series b fundingExpel · expel.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Leading managed detection and response (MDR) provider | ExpelExpel · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Expel Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]Managed Detection and Response Services | Expel MDRExpel · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Email threat detection | ExpelExpel · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]AI attack surface coverage | ExpelExpel · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Company | ExpelExpel · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Security and compliance support from your MDR | ExpelExpel · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Managed Security Solutions | ExpelExpel · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A

Forte Technologies full record

  1. [1]fortetechnologies.comForte Technologies · fortetechnologies.com · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Run Your Business. We've got IT. - Forte TechnologiesForte Technologies · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Forte Cybersecurity: We're Watching so you Don't Have to. - Forte TechnologiesForte Technologies · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Managed IT Services and Support - Forte TechnologiesForte Technologies · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Cloud Hosting Without the Lock-In - Forte TechnologiesForte Technologies · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Your Microsoft 365 Environment, Run Right. - Forte TechnologiesForte Technologies · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Compliance, Built Into How Your IT Runs. - Forte TechnologiesForte Technologies · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Cyber Assurance That Isn't Grading Its Own Work. - Forte TechnologiesForte Technologies · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Forte vCISO: A Security Executive on Your Side of the Table. - Forte TechnologiesForte Technologies · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Forte BCDR: When It Matters Most, You’re Already Back - Forte TechnologiesForte Technologies · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

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