CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

IANS vs Red Sentry

IANS is a practitioner-sourced intelligence engine where data, peer experience and expert insights converge for security teams. Red Sentry sells offensive security services, from one-off penetration tests to ongoing PTaaS (Penetration Testing as a Service) partnerships. CISO Tribune files both under Penetration testing and red team services. 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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  • IANS
  • Red Sentry
IANS vs Red Sentry: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
IANSIANS is a practitioner-sourced intelligence engine where data, peer experience and expert insights converge for security teams.ians.comRed SentryRed Sentry sells offensive security services, from one-off penetration tests to ongoing PTaaS (Penetration Testing as a Service) partnerships.redsentry.com
What it sells
  • Ask IANS[12]An AI Q&A service built on a proprietary database of IANS Faculty expert advice.
  • Client Portal[12][14]A library of research, tools and templates contributed by IANS Faculty.
  • CISO Inquiry Community[12]An invitation-only service where CISOs gain insights from a private community of peers.
  • PTaaS[1][3][5]A platform that gives teams a central place to track findings, remediation, retesting, communication, and report delivery.
  • Source Code Review[7]Tool-assisted static analysis paired with manual security review and validation.
  • Red Teaming[4]A simulated full-scale attack that tests an organization's people, processes, and technology.
  • Physical Security Assessment[9]Tests whether physical controls, people, and processes prevent unauthorized access to agreed locations and objectives.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Founded
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Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Named customers
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Recent news
  • August 25, 2026IANS named Kelley Hippler as its Chief Revenue Officer, citing her revenue leadership experience at Thought Industries, Briefly Legal, and Forrester.[16]
  • July 15, 2026IANS announced the launch of its Model Context Protocol Server, which delivers cybersecurity insights and data through the AI tools security teams use.[10]
  • March 31, 2026IANS announced the launch of a security-focused news offering with daily coverage written by its in-house reporters and backed by expert practitioner analysis.[9]
  • February 4, 2026IANS appointed Dan Klein as Executive Vice President, Faculty and Professional Services.[11]
Not stated on its pages
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
From its own pages, IANS sells mainly to CISOs and their cybersecurity teams. A privacy service from IANS is aimed at CISOs, privacy teams and compliance teams. IANS offers an invitation-only community in which CISOs gain insights from their peers. IANS describes professional development that runs from hands-on technical skill to the executive table. No vendor can become an IANS client. IANS offers data-as-a-service delivery of its content to clients that license it.From its own pages, Red Sentry sells its testing services to organizations of all sizes. For mature security teams, Red Sentry offers advanced Red Teaming and adversary simulation. Red Sentry addresses buyers whose auditors require more than a scan. Red Sentry reviews both traditionally developed and AI-assisted codebases.
Last verified
October 16, 2026November 13, 2026

Where they overlap

  • IANS and Red Sentry are both filed under Penetration testing and red team services.

Where they differ, field by field

  • IANS's primary category is Security consulting and advisory; Red Sentry's is Penetration testing and red team services.
  • IANS is also filed under Security awareness training. Red Sentry is also filed under Breach simulation and automated pen-testing and Vulnerability management.
  • IANS lists Ask IANS, Client Portal and CISO Inquiry Community. Red Sentry lists PTaaS, Source Code Review, Red Teaming and Physical Security Assessment.

What it sells: IANS

What Client Portal does[12][14]
The Client Portal provides a library of research, tools and templates contributed by IANS Faculty. Client Portal website data and infrastructure are based in the U.S.

What it sells: Red Sentry

What PTaaS does[1][3][5]
PTaaS means penetration testing as a service. Every Red Sentry engagement includes full access to the PTaaS platform at no extra cost. The platform offers Jira integration for pushing remediation tickets to engineering teams. Portal access lets teams track project status, access reports and evidence, and manage remediation.
What Source Code Review does[7]
Source code review is a standalone Red Sentry service. Red Sentry reviews traditionally developed and AI-assisted codebases using the same human-led security review process. One round of remediation testing is included when requested within 90 days of report delivery, unless otherwise scoped.
What Red Teaming does[4]
Red Sentry follows the MITRE ATT&CK framework to simulate the entire lifecycle of a breach. Red team work includes testing endpoint protection (EDR/AV) by attempting to execute custom malware or tools. Red Sentry collaborates with the Blue Team to explain how controls were bypassed.
What Physical Security Assessment does[9]
Physical security assessment is a standalone Red Sentry service. Red Sentry agrees written authorization and rules of engagement before testing starts. Findings are documented with photographic evidence, steps to recreate them, severity, and remediation guidance.

Questions about IANS and Red Sentry

What do IANS and Red Sentry sell?
IANS sells Ask IANS, Client Portal and CISO Inquiry Community. Red Sentry sells PTaaS, Source Code Review, Red Teaming and Physical Security Assessment.
Are IANS and Red Sentry in the same category?
They share Penetration testing and red team services. IANS's primary category is Security consulting and advisory and Red Sentry's is Penetration testing and red team services.
Who are IANS and Red Sentry sold to?
From its own pages, IANS sells mainly to CISOs and their cybersecurity teams. From its own pages, Red Sentry sells its testing services to organizations of all sizes.
What have IANS and Red Sentry announced recently?
August 25, 2026: IANS named Kelley Hippler as its Chief Revenue Officer, citing her revenue leadership experience at Thought Industries, Briefly Legal, and Forrester.

About IANS

IANS is a practitioner-sourced intelligence engine where data, peer experience and expert insights converge for security teams. IANS has had a single focus on cybersecurity from the beginning. IANS describes itself as a cybersecurity research and advisory firm that provides services to support decision-making for CISOs and their cybersecurity teams. IANS was launched in 2000. IANS describes a proprietary intelligence platform that mines the collective experience of its CISO community and Faculty.[3][12]

IANS says its data comes from thousands of conversations between 170+ Faculty, who are security practitioners in the field, and CISO clients. IANS states that its vendor intelligence is based on facts and data. No vendor can become an IANS client. IANS uses AI to deliver answers from its practitioner-validated intelligence base of cybersecurity decisions.[3]

IANS offers the Ask-An-Expert service, which provides clients with unlimited access to seasoned cybersecurity professionals for guidance on various topics. Ask IANS is an AI Q&A service whose answers draw on a proprietary database of IANS Faculty expert advice. The Client Portal provides a library of research, tools and templates contributed by IANS Faculty. The IANS CISO Inquiry Community is an invitation-only service that lets CISOs gain insights and perspectives from a private community of their peers. IANS Faculty help executives communicate about cybersecurity risks and strategies to their teams and stakeholders. IANS provides briefings on the latest cybersecurity threats and technologies.[1][12]

IANS offers practitioner-based insights from IANS Faculty and industry peers covering aspects of the vendor management lifecycle. A privacy service from IANS includes an operational privacy framework, privacy toolkit, bi-monthly privacy briefings, regulation cheat sheets, and privacy communication slides. IANS provides access to daily content. IANS Faculty give live guidance on breaking cybersecurity events, incidents and breaches. IANS lets clients submit questions to a private peer community and receive insights in shared summaries. IANS offers an interactive, live setting in which to explore challenges with an IANS Faculty member. IANS also returns short, written responses from multiple faculty members on a topic.[12]

IANS acts as an adversary to identify and exploit weaknesses in client controls. IANS demonstrates adversary tactics and gives guidance to harden infrastructure. IANS offers an engagement to find the gaps in a client IR process, then test the plan against them. IANS delivers training through its Faculty practitioners to improve foundational skills and reduce knowledge gaps. IANS provides instruction with hands-on interactive labs, in multiple formats. IANS offers a personalized engagement with an executive coach from its Faculty line-up.[1]

IANS delivers its knowledge base via MCP into AI tools. For clients that license them, IANS offers data-as-a-service delivery of IANS proprietary content, including the IANS MCP Server. The IANS MCP server does not train or operate its own large language model. IANS does not use MCP log data to train AI models, and does not provide it to any third party for model training. Requests to speak with IANS Faculty can be submitted through the MCP.[1][12][13]

IANS protects data at rest with the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm. IANS data removal process adheres to a decommissioning policy under GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act. IANS conducts annual penetration testing and monthly internal network and vulnerability scans through independent external parties. IANS and Artico Search surveyed more than 525 infosec professionals as part of the 2024 Staff Compensation and Satisfaction Survey. The 2025 Cybersecurity Staff Compensation Benchmark report draws on survey data gathered from June through the end of 2024. The report includes a breakdown of compensation for various roles across security functions and the factors that most impact compensation packages.[1][2][5][6][7][8][15]

IANS on the record

Sources

IANS full record

  1. [1]ians.comIANS · ians.com · undated page, accessed October 16, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Security program assessmentsIANS · ians.com · undated page, accessed October 16, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]About IANS — who we are and what we believe | IANSIANS · undated page, accessed November 2, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]IANS — The intelligence platform for security leadersIANS · undated page, accessed November 2, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]2024 Security Budgets: Data From 755 CISOsIANS · published September 5, 2024 · Tier A
  6. [6]IANS 2025 Security Budget Benchmark ReportIANS · published August 5, 2025 · Tier A
  7. [7]Cybersecurity Salaries 2026: Staff Pay and Retention DataIANS · published March 31, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Webinar: Where to Deploy AI Across Your SecOps TeamIANS · undated page, accessed November 2, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]IANS Launches News Offering and Reinvents Its Platform for How Security Leaders Work TodayIANS · published March 31, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]IANS Launches the First Cybersecurity MCP Server Delivering Practitioner-Validated Intelligence Directly into Clients' Native AI ToolsIANS · published July 15, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]IANS appoints Dan Klein as Executive Vice President, Faculty and Professional Services to Support Faculty and Consulting Services GrowthIANS · published February 4, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Terms of Service | IANSIANS · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]MCP Data Privacy & Security | IANSIANS · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]IANS Cybersecurity Commitment | IANSIANS · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]2025 Staff Pay Data From 525+ Infosec ProfessionalsIANS · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]New CRO to Help IANS Expand Practitioner-Sourced Intelligence, Peer Insight, and AI-Ready Guidance for Security TeamsIANS · published August 25, 2026 · Tier A

Red Sentry full record

  1. [1]redsentry.comRed Sentry · redsentry.com · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]DetailsRed Sentry · app.redsentry.com · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Red Sentry | Human-Led Penetration Testing & PTaaSRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Penetration Testing & Offensive Security Services | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Web Application Penetration Testing Services | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]API Penetration Testing Services | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Secure Code Review Services | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Cloud Penetration Testing (AWS, Azure, GCP) | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Physical Security Pentesting | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Red Teaming Services: Objective-Based Attack Sims | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Social Engineering & Phishing Services | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]SOC 2 Penetration Testing Support | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Network Pen Testing (Internal & External) | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Pen Testing Services for Modern Organizations | Red SentryRed Sentry · undated page, accessed November 13, 2026 · Tier A

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