SGNL.AI

SGNL.AI provides a continuous identity platform that dynamically manages high-risk access across an enterprise’s critical systems and sensitive data. The company’s core technology integrates an Identity Data Fabric, a dynamic Policy Engine, and a real-time event framework to leverage existing contextual information within client infrastructure. This approach ensures real-time access decisions and policy enforcement across diverse environments, including cloud infrastructure, SaaS applications, and custom systems, promoting a Zero Standing Privilege model.

Scott Kriz and Erik Gustavson co-founded SGNL.AI in 2021, bringing extensive experience in identity and access management. Both previously served as CEO/CPO and CTO/Co-founder, respectively, of Bitium, an identity management company later acquired by Google. Their time at Google saw them leading authorization standardization efforts, providing the foundational insight to establish SGNL.AI with the ambition to advance the capabilities of continuous identity.

The platform serves large enterprises by simplifying complex access management challenges and securing sensitive information. SGNL.AI’s vision centers on shaping the future of continuous identity, enabling organizations to maintain trust and control over their data by delivering contextual, continuous, and consistent identity protection. The company aims to significantly reduce manual identity and entitlement management, enhancing overall security posture.

High-Level Overview

SGNL.ai is a cybersecurity company pioneering the Continuous Identity category, providing a platform for real-time, context-aware authorization that enables Zero Standing Privilege (ZSP) across enterprise systems, from humans to AI agents.[1][2][3] It serves large enterprises like Fortune 100 companies, addressing gaps in traditional Identity and Access Management (IAM), Privileged Access Management (PAM), and Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) by dynamically evaluating access based on current context rather than static roles, thus reducing risks from credential theft, session hijacking, and over-privileged access.[1][3][4] The platform integrates with cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP), SaaS apps (Salesforce, GitHub), API gateways, and AI systems via standards like SSF and CAEP, delivering sub-100ms decisions at scale with human-readable policies.[2][3]

Founded in 2021, SGNL.ai has raised $12 million, employs around 31 people in Palo Alto, and counts Cisco Investments among its backers, fueling growth in hybrid work and AI-driven environments.[4][5][6]

Origin Story

SGNL.ai was founded in 2021 by Scott Kriz (CEO) and Erik Gustavson, product and engineering leaders with over a decade in identity solutions from Google, Okta, and Microsoft.[1][4][5] The idea emerged after Google's 2017 acquisition of their prior company, Bitium—an IAM firm—prompting a pivot from authentication (AuthN) to real-time authorization (AuthZ) for securing sensitive customer data, code, and cloud infrastructure using business context.[1][4] Early traction built on this expertise, with the founders recognizing limitations in legacy PAM and IGA tools amid surging demand for identity-first security in hybrid work and AI eras, leading to investments like Cisco's to scale their ZSP mission.[4][5][6]

Core Differentiators

• Real-time, Context-Aware Authorization: Focuses on dynamic AuthZ using an Identity Graph that unifies data from disparate sources (e.g., employees, customers, tickets, devices) for policies considering activity, posture, and risk—unlike static AuthN or role-based systems.[1][2][3]
• Human-Readable Policy Engine: Supports ABAC, RBAC, ReBAC with simulation, version control, and sub-100ms performance; reusable across systems without passwords or credentials.[1][2]
• Zero Standing Privilege at Scale: Eliminates standing access via continuous evaluation and instant revocation, closing gaps in PAM/IGA for cloud, SaaS, code pipelines, and AI agents (e.g., MCP servers).[1][3][6]
• Enterprise Integrations and Standards: Identity Data Fabric ingests high-velocity signals, enforces via SSF/CAEP, and complements tools like Duo for Zero Trust; validated by Fortune 100 adopters replacing legacy PAM.[2][3][6]
• Developer and Admin Experience: Agnostic policy queries, automated audits (reducing months to real-time), and high-scale performance for global enterprises.[2][5]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

SGNL.ai rides the Zero Trust and Continuous Identity trends, amplified by hybrid work, AI agents, and exploding non-human identities, where traditional IAM fails against real-time threats like token theft.[1][3][6] Timing is ideal amid regulatory pressures for compliance (e.g., data protection) and market shifts to dynamic access, with analysts recognizing its approach for Fortune 100-scale deployments.[2][4] Favorable forces include AI proliferation demanding governance for MCP services and cloud sprawl (AWS, Azure), where SGNL's graph-based fabric transforms proprietary signals into actionable policies, influencing ecosystems by setting ZSP standards and partnering with giants like Cisco to bridge auth and authz gaps.[3][5][6] It accelerates enterprise adoption of just-in-time access, reducing role sprawl and audit burdens while enabling secure AI innovation.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

SGNL.ai is positioned to dominate Continuous Identity as AI agents and multi-cloud complexity intensify, with expansions into more AI governance, custom apps, and global compliance driving adoption.[2][3] Trends like standards evolution (SSF/CAEP) and Zero Trust mandates will propel growth, potentially scaling headcount and funding as CISOs prioritize its overhead-cutting policies.[4][5] Its influence may evolve from niche innovator to IAM control plane standard, complementing incumbents and fostering industry-wide ZSP—echoing its founding mission to redefine security for the modern workforce.[1][6]