CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Orca Security vs Upwind

The Orca Cloud Security Platform discovers risks across code, cloud, runtime, and AI. Upwind sells security for cloud workloads, APIs and agents, combining their context with runtime intelligence to identify critical risks and catch new attacks in real time. CISO Tribune files both under Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP) and Cloud detection and response. 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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  • Orca Security
  • Upwind
Orca Security vs Upwind: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
Orca SecurityThe Orca Cloud Security Platform discovers risks across code, cloud, runtime, and AI.orca.securityUpwindUpwind sells security for cloud workloads, APIs and agents, combining their context with runtime intelligence to identify critical risks and catch new attacks in real time.upwind.io
What it sells
  • Orca Sensor[4][13]Provides runtime visibility and protection that extends the capabilities of the Orca Cloud Security Platform.
  • API Security[12][14]Identifies, prioritizes, and addresses API misconfigurations and security risks across a cloud estate, without agents or network changes.
  • AI AppGen Security[10]Provides posture management for applications built on AI app generator platforms like Replit, Lovable, Vercel, and Bolt.
  • Cloud Security[1]A CNAPP that combines posture, workload and runtime signals to find and prioritize cloud risks.
  • AI Security[8]Monitors AI workloads and agents within the cloud environment to identify risky configurations and behaviour.
  • Agentic Security[1][7]Watches autonomous AI agents and their skills or MCP connections for malicious or high-risk activity.
  • Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)[1]Checks cloud account and resource configuration against security policy on an ongoing basis.
  • Cloud Infrastructure Entitlements Management (CIEM)[1]Analyses identity permissions across cloud platforms to reduce excess access.
  • Cloud Detection & Response (CDR)[1]Correlates runtime signals and cloud activity logs to detect and respond to threats as they occur.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pages2022[2][4]
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesPrivately held[4][11]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • September 16, 2026Orca Security announced a new global Partner POD Program and an AI-powered Partner Success Platform for its partners.[17]
  • May 12, 2026Orca Security announced it was included in Rising in Cyber 2026, an annual list from Notable Capital covering 30 private cybersecurity startups.[6]
  • April 13, 2026Orca Security announced a strategic distribution agreement with TD SYNNEX covering North America.[5]
Not stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 10, 2026[7]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 10, 2026[11]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
Not written yetUpwind's API offering is aimed at organizations that run APIs in the cloud. Upwind's AI security offering is aimed at organizations that run AI applications on cloud infrastructure. Upwind's code security features address teams practising shift-left security in AI-native development.
Last verified
September 27, 2026November 5, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP) is the primary category of both Orca Security and Upwind; both are also filed under Cloud detection and response.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Orca Security is also filed under Cloud workload protection. Upwind is also filed under Cloud security posture management and API security.
  • Orca Security lists Orca Sensor, API Security and AI AppGen Security. Upwind lists Cloud Security, AI Security, Agentic Security, Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlements Management (CIEM) and 1 more.
  • Upwind was founded in 2022.
  • Upwind is privately held.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files Orca Security under Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP), Cloud workload protection, and Cloud detection and response, with CNAPP as its primary category. CISO Tribune files Upwind under CNAPP, Cloud security posture management, Cloud detection and response, and API security, also with CNAPP as its primary category. The two overlap on cloud risk, runtime and API coverage, and both sell AI-related security.

Orca Security sells Orca Sensor, which uses eBPF-based technology for runtime visibility across public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises environments. It also sells API Security that works without agents or network changes, and AI AppGen Security for apps built on platforms like Replit, Lovable, Vercel, and Bolt. Upwind sells Cloud Security, CSPM, CIEM, and Cloud Detection & Response, plus AI Security and Agentic Security, which watches autonomous AI agents and their MCP connections. Upwind also describes specialized AI agents that investigate threats, provide red team validation, and offer remediation.

Upwind was founded in 2022 and is privately held. Orca Security brought its platform to market in 2019, has raised nearly $630 million at a $1.8 billion valuation, and counts Capital G, ICONIQ, GGV, and SVCI among its investors. Orca Security says its customers range from Fortune 500 enterprises to cloud-native disruptors. On September 16, 2026, Orca Security announced a global Partner POD Program and an AI-powered Partner Success Platform. On April 13, 2026, it announced a distribution agreement with TD SYNNEX covering North America.

What it sells: Orca Security

What Orca Sensor does[4][13]
Orca Sensor monitors runtime activity across public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises environments. Orca Sensor uses eBPF-based technology to deliver runtime visibility and protection. Orca Sensor identifies whether a vulnerable package is actually being executed.
What API Security does[12][14]
Orca provides security teams with a full inventory of APIs and related web domains in their cloud estate, and API-related security and compliance risks, without agents. Orca continuously monitors API behavior and usage and alerts teams to potentially unwanted API drift. Orca scans a cloud estate and surfaces potentially hazardous API security risks, providing actionable data and remediation suggestions.
What AI AppGen Security does[10]
AI AppGen Security continuously discovers apps built on those platforms and identifies the misconfigurations they ship with by default. AI AppGen Security connects each finding to the surrounding cloud environment.

Questions about Orca Security and Upwind

What do Orca Security and Upwind sell?
Orca Security sells Orca Sensor, API Security and AI AppGen Security. Upwind sells Cloud Security, AI Security, Agentic Security, Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlements Management (CIEM) and 1 more.
Are Orca Security and Upwind in the same category?
Yes. Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP) is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
When were Orca Security and Upwind founded?
Upwind was founded in 2022.
Who owns Orca Security and Upwind?
Upwind is privately held.
Who are Orca Security and Upwind sold to?
Upwind's API offering is aimed at organizations that run APIs in the cloud.
What have Orca Security and Upwind announced recently?
September 16, 2026: Orca Security announced a new global Partner POD Program and an AI-powered Partner Success Platform for its partners.

About Orca Security

The Orca Cloud Security Platform discovers risks across code, cloud, runtime, and AI. The platform unifies cloud posture, identity permissions, workload security, sensitive data at risk, and runtime threats into one connected view. Orca applies a risk score to each alert, considering severity, accessibility, exploitability, and business impact. Orca evaluates and prioritizes the paths to crown jewels, combining misconfigurations, identity risks, lateral movement and more.[4]

Orca Security offers a product area for knowing cloud exposure and proving to the board that risk is under control. Orca Security offers a product area for governing every AI system in the cloud. Orca finds every AI model, package, and agent running across a cloud, including shadow AI. AI AppGen Security is posture management for applications built on AI app generator platforms like Replit, Lovable, Vercel, and Bolt. AI AppGen Security continuously discovers apps built on those platforms, identifies the misconfigurations they ship with by default, and connects each finding to the surrounding cloud environment. AI AppGen Security is a capability within Orca's existing AI Security, not a standalone tool. Orca AI includes Core Agents, a natural-language AI Assistant, and an MCP Server, all grounded in Orca's Unified Data Model.[4][8][10][11]

Orca scans code, dependencies, IaC, images, and secrets agentlessly and prioritizes each finding by what is reachable and exposed in the running cloud. Orca scores every code vulnerability against live cloud context: reachability, internet exposure, identity permissions, and proximity to sensitive data. Orca generates SBOMs and flags vulnerable and license-risky open-source packages before they ship. Orca pushes findings and context straight into the IDE, repos, and ticketing tools that developers use. For high-impact issues, Orca drafts AI-generated fixes and opens pull requests. Orca's AppSec Triage Agent uses code context to automatically deprioritize false positives and escalate true positives.[12]

Orca Security offers a product area for hardening every cloud workload without slowing pipelines down. SideScanning™ technology covers VMs, containers, and serverless, and cloud infrastructure resources such as storage buckets, VPCs, and KMS keys. Orca Security offers a product area for catching cloud and AI attacks as they unfold and containing the blast radius. Orca Sensor provides runtime visibility and protection that extends the capabilities of the Orca Cloud Security Platform. Orca Sensor monitors runtime activity across public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises environments. Orca Sensor secures workloads across Linux, Kubernetes, and Windows environments, including servers and workstations. Orca Sensor uses eBPF-based technology to deliver runtime visibility and protection. Orca Sensor includes a library of runtime detections that alert on active threats and can be configured to terminate processes. Orca Sensor identifies whether a vulnerable package is actually being executed. Orca monitors AI workloads at runtime, detecting model exfiltration attempts, prompt injection patterns, unusual inference traffic, and configuration drift.[1][4][8]

Orca offers API Security to identify, prioritize, and address API misconfigurations and security risks across a cloud estate, without agents or network changes. Orca provides security teams with a full inventory of APIs and related web domains in their cloud estate, and API-related security and compliance risks, without agents. Orca continuously monitors API behavior and usage and alerts teams to potentially unwanted API drift. Orca scans a cloud estate and surfaces potentially hazardous API security risks, providing actionable data and remediation suggestions. Orca provides linked alerts for adhering to compliance frameworks like PCI-DSS.[12][14]

Orca states that, since Orca is agentless-first, scanning can start as soon as cloud provider accounts are connected, without the need to install agents. Orca offers three deployment options: a SaaS platform, hosting in the customer's own boundary, and running from government cloud such as FedRAMP. Orca connects to Slack for alerting, Jira for ticketing, and SIEM platforms for streaming data.[8]

Orca Security is FedRAMP® Moderate and GovRAMP® authorized and TX-RAMP certified. The Orca Platform is FedRAMP Moderate and StateRAMP authorized and holds SOC 2 TYPE II, ISO/EC 27001, ISO/EC 27017, and ISO/EC 27018 certifications. Orca supports 150+ compliance frameworks and CIS benchmarks, including NIST SP 800-53, NIST CSF, DISA STIG, and ISO 27001. Access to the Orca Platform can be procured from partners including Carahsoft, SAIC, GuidePoint Security, Lumen technologies, Braxton Grant technologies, and Optiv+Clearshark. Orca Security is available on the GSA Multiple Schedule through its partner Guidepoint Federal. Orca has full-time dedicated technical support staff based in the US. Orca Security's customers range from Fortune 500 enterprises to cloud-native disruptors. Orca Security supports customers in the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Orca Security brought its platform to market in 2019. Orca Security has raised nearly $630 million in combined funds at a $1.8 billion valuation. Orca Security's investors include Capital G, ICONIQ, GGV, and SVCI.[2][3][4][8][15][16]

Orca Security on the record

Sources

Orca Security full record

  1. [1]orca.securityOrca Security · orca.security · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]PlatformOrca Security · orca.security · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Orca Security Report 99.9 of Fixable AI Vulnerabilities Remain Unpatched as AI Moves Into ProductionOrca Security via Business Wire · businesswire.com · published July 9, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Orca Security | AI-Powered Cloud Security Platform & CNAPPOrca Security · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Orca Security Accelerates AI-Driven Cloud Security Growth with TD SYNNEX PartnershipBusiness Wire · published April 13, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Orca Security Named to Rising in Cyber 2026 for Third Consecutive YearBusiness Wire · published May 12, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Orca Security Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier C
  8. [8]Trusted Cloud Security Platform | Orca SecurityOrca Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Government Cloud Security | Orca SecurityOrca Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]AI AppGen Security: Uncover Shadow App Builders | Orca SecurityOrca Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Orca AI Overview: AI Agents, MCP Server & Assistant | Orca SecurityOrca Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Code Securely with Orca SecurityOrca Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Runtime Visibility and Protection for Cloud and AI | Orca SecurityOrca Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]API Security Company and Services | Orca SecurityOrca Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]About Us - Cloud Security Innovation | Orca SecurityOrca Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Sales Engineer | Orca SecurityOrca Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Orca Launches AI-Powered Partner Success PlatformOrca Security · published September 16, 2026 · Tier A

Upwind full record

  1. [1]upwind.ioUpwind · upwind.io · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]NewsroomUpwind · upwind.io · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Upwind Security: Cloud & AI Security for the Realtime EraUpwind · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]About - UpwindUpwind · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Upwind Case Studies: Real-World Cloud Security Success StoriesUpwind · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Run - UpwindUpwind · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Agentic Security - UpwindUpwind · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AI Security Platform - UpwindUpwind · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Runtime API Security: Discover and Protect APIs in Real TimeUpwind · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Build - UpwindUpwind · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Upwind Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & FeaturesG2 · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier C

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