Knox
Knox Systems provides managed cloud infrastructure and FedRAMP-as-a-Service enabling SaaS and AI vendors to achieve federal authorization in 90 days at approximately 90% lower cost, serving commercial software vendors and U.S. civilian and defense agencies across a pre-authorized multi-cloud boundary.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Knox does
Knox Systems, Inc. operates a FedRAMP-as-a-Service platform that provides a pre-authorized, multi-cloud federal managed cloud boundary across AWS, AWS GovCloud, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Founded in 2014 (operational origin) and headquartered in Austin with co-headquarters in New York and Washington D.C., Knox holds 16 active federal Authorizations to Operate — including a FedRAMP High Authorization sponsored by FEMA in March 2026 and DISA Impact Level 4 deployment — allowing SaaS and AI vendors to inherit 60-80% of required FedRAMP/NIST 800-53 controls on day one and achieve authorization in approximately 90 days at a publicly disclosed price of ~$500,000 per application (compared to a traditional $730K-$3M+ Year-0 cost plus $100K-$400K/year continuous monitoring).
The platform's technical core is KnoxAI, a proprietary AI-native compliance engine paired with Trust Telemetry, which continuously ingests Git repositories, Infrastructure-as-Code configurations, and runtime telemetry to map NIST 800-53 controls, generate OSCAL-formatted System Security Plans and POA&Ms, perform Bayesian control-confidence scoring on an immutable Security Ledger, and auto-generate Terraform-based remediation code integrated into GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Jenkins pipelines. Adjacent modules include Knox CMX (a compliance posture dashboard) and Hardened Images (FIPS 140-3 curated container images bundled through RapidFort).
Knox monetizes primarily through multi-year per-application managed subscription fees of approximately $500,000 per app, supplemented by marketplace and channel revenue via Carahsoft (NASA SEWP V, ITES-SW2, NASPO ValuePoint, OMNIA Partners), AWS Marketplace, Microsoft Azure Marketplace, and a NightDragon strategic channel for cybersecurity portfolio companies. The customer base spans enterprise (Adobe, Celonis, OutSystems, BigID, Armis, Sierra), mid-market (Spacelift, Acsense, Sift, ThreatModeler), and startup/SMB (Kovr.ai, Vannevar, Zenity, Tovuti, Backupta) SaaS vendors pursuing U.S. federal civilian and defense agency contracts. The company has raised $31.5M in total funding across a $6.5M seed round (Felicis lead, July 2025) and a $25M Series A (B Capital lead, March 2026) and maintains 251-500 employees.
Knox firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Knox
- Legal name
- Knox Systems, Inc.
- Website
- https://knoxsystems.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Knox Systems provides managed cloud infrastructure and FedRAMP-as-a-Service enabling SaaS and AI vendors to achieve federal authorization in 90 days at approximately 90% lower cost, serving commercial software vendors and U.S. civilian and defense agencies across a pre-authorized multi-cloud boundary.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Knox industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Federal Cloud Compliance Platform
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computer Facilities Management Services (541513)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- FinOps for Platform & DevOps (cost governance/optimization) (BPAEAKAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- KYC/KYB & Customer Onboarding (CIP, beneficial ownership, screening) (FSAGAFAB), Recordkeeping, Archiving & Audit Trail (WORM/SEC 17a-4) (FSAFAOAK)
Keywords
Where Knox is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Knox business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- FedRAMP-as-a-Service Managed Subscription: Recurring managed service fee per application of approximately $500,000 fully loaded, covering readiness assessments, documentation, authorization, and ongoing continuous monitoring within Knox's pre-authorized boundary. Billed per application per engagement with multi-year operational continuity.
- Marketplace/Channel Distribution Revenue: Indirect revenue via Carahsoft Master Government Aggregator contracts (NASA SEWP V, ITES-SW2, NASPO ValuePoint, OMNIA Partners) and through AWS and Azure Marketplace listings (including MACC-eligible Azure spend).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Per-application FedRAMP authorization managed service |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Traditional FedRAMP Moderate (industry reference) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Knox product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Knox Systems operates a FedRAMP-as-a-Service managed cloud platform that runs a pre-authorized federal compliance boundary across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. SaaS and AI vendors deploy their applications into Knox's single-tenant isolated sub-accounts, inheriting 60-80% of FedRAMP controls on day one, while KnoxAI automates continuous monitoring, evidence generation, and code-based remediation. The service is sold as a recurring managed subscription priced at approximately $500,000 per application fully loaded, compressing traditional 1-3 year, $2-5M+ FedRAMP authorizations to roughly 90 days.
Product overview
Knox Systems operates a single unified FedRAMP-as-a-Service platform consisting of the Knox Systems Managed Federal Cloud Platform (the pre-authorized multi-cloud boundary running across AWS, Azure, and GCP) and its core AI-native compliance engine KnoxAI. The platform is organized as a platform-plus-modules architecture: vendors deploy their SaaS or AI applications into Knox's Landing Zone — a pre-authorized, single-tenant isolated environment where they inherit 60-80% of FedRAMP controls — while KnoxAI (augmented by Trust Telemetry and the Knox CMX posture dashboard) provides real-time continuous monitoring, automated code-based remediation, generative-AI authoring of POA&Ms/SSPs in OSCAL format, and Bayesian risk-adjusted confidence scoring. Add-on modules such as Hardened Images (FIPS 140-3 curated container images) extend the boundary's pre-cleared controls to the vendor's workload images.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- KnoxAI: An AI-native compliance engine built by Knox Systems that provides real-time monitoring, automated remediation, and continuous security alignment across frameworks like FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, and SOC 2. Powers Knox's Trust Telemetry for always-on audit readiness.
Products and services
- Knox Systems Managed Federal Cloud Platform Knox's flagship FedRAMP-as-a-Service platform: a pre-authorized, multi-cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP) managed federal cloud boundary that enables SaaS and AI vendors to inherit 60-80% of FedRAMP controls and achieve authorization in 90 days at ~90% lower cost. Operates 16+ active ATOs across federal civilian and DoD agencies.
- KnoxAI AI-native compliance engine powering Knox's real-time, always-on FedRAMP continuous monitoring. Ingests infrastructure data (Git repos, IaC, runtime configs), maps to NIST 800-53/SOC 2/FedRAMP, performs automated code-based remediation, and generates OSCAL-formatted POA&Ms and SSPs.
- Landing Zone Knox's pre-authorized deployment environment where SaaS vendors deploy their applications to inherit Knox's FedRAMP-authorized infrastructure controls; provides a dedicated, isolated sub-account with single-tenant isolation per customer.
- Hardened Images FIPS 140-3 curated container images offered via Knox in partnership with RapidFort, enabling SaaS vendors to inherit 60-80% of FedRAMP controls on day one and shorten authorization timelines to ~90 days without agency sponsorship.
Companies that use Knox
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Knox technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration14 records
AI capability8 records
Feature6 records
Knox partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Google Public SectorflagshipCollaboration to accelerate deployment of commercial SaaS and AI software onto federal government environments using a combined Knox-managed federal cloud on Google Cloud infrastructure. Vendors preserve existing architecture, APIs, and workflows while meeting government security requirements. Reduces FedRAMP authorization timelines from years to 90 days. Major customers SierraAI, Celonis, and Armis have already used the platform.
- RapidFortcoreExpanded strategic partnership to help SaaS vendors accelerate FedRAMP compliance by providing bundled access to FIPS 140-3 curated container images. Enables vendors to inherit 60-80% of FedRAMP controls on day one and shorten authorization timelines to approximately 90 days without requiring agency sponsorship.
- NightDragonflagshipStrategic partnership to advance secure cloud adoption and FedRAMP authorization across U.S. government and commercial sectors. Enables NightDragon's cybersecurity portfolio companies to access Knox's FedRAMP-authorized cloud, compliance, and AI-driven monitoring platforms, reaching government customers faster. Combines NightDragon's operational expertise in scaling SecureTech companies with Knox's compliance platform.
- Carahsoft TechnologyflagshipCarahsoft serves as Knox's Master Government Aggregator, making Knox's SaaS and AI tools available to federal agencies, independent software vendors, and commercial clients through contract vehicles including NASA SEWP V, ITES-SW2, NASPO ValuePoint, and OMNIA Partners. Carahsoft delivers Knox's FedRAMP-authorized managed cloud and AI security capabilities via its reseller network.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights8 records
Knox competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Coalfire: Coalfire is a leading FedRAMP 3PAO and cybersecurity advisory firm that performed Knox's FedRAMP High assessment. Adjacent/ecosystem participant: provides the third-party assessments Knox depends on, but operates on the services side rather than the boundary platform side.
Broad incumbents
- AWS GovCloud (Amazon): AWS GovCloud is the underlying hyperscaler federal cloud where Knox's FedRAMP High boundary is deployed. Comparable as a FedRAMP-authorized federal cloud environment with continuous monitoring and ATO inheritance; broad incumbent with full hyperscaler services.
- Google Public Sector (Google Cloud): Google Public Sector is both a Knox partner (June 2026 collaboration) and a comparable FedRAMP-authorized cloud provider for federal agencies. Provides Google Cloud's FedRAMP High boundary and Assured Workloads as an alternative federal compliance path.
- Microsoft Azure Government: Azure Government / Azure Government Secret provides FedRAMP High authorized cloud services for federal agencies and integrates with Knox's boundary (MACC-eligible). Broad incumbent comparable as a federal managed cloud platform with FedRAMP High authorization.
Regional players
- Telos Corporation: Telos is a federal IT services and compliance provider (Xacta) specializing in FedRAMP, NIST RMF, and DoD authorization workflows. Comparable in federal compliance and continuous monitoring tooling for federal customers.
Direct peers
- GovReady: GovReady (now part of RegScale) provides compliance automation software targeting FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, and CMMC for SaaS vendors. Direct peer in automating federal compliance documentation and continuous monitoring workflows.
- Palantir Technologies: Palantir is one of only two major federal managed-cloud operators per Knox's CEO and offers GovCloud and FedRAMP-authorized platforms (e.g., Palantir Federal Cloud) serving federal civilian and defense customers. Direct comparison: both operate pre-authorized federal cloud boundaries for SaaS/AI vendors targeting the U.S. government.
- RegScale: RegScale is a compliance automation platform for FedRAMP, NIST, CMMC, and SOC 2 with continuous monitoring. Direct peer in AI-driven GRC for federal and regulated workloads.
Emerging players
- Secureframe: Secureframe provides automated compliance for SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI, and FedRAMP. Comparable in continuous compliance and control monitoring; emerging player in the federal compliance space.
- Vanta: Vanta is a leading automated compliance platform for SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and FedRAMP readiness. Comparable in AI-driven evidence collection and continuous monitoring, though Vanta focuses more broadly on commercial compliance with FedRAMP as an extension.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Knox social profiles
Digital presenceKnox compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Knox financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Knox leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Knox funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Knox M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Knox
What does Knox do?
Knox Systems operates a FedRAMP-as-a-Service managed cloud platform that runs a pre-authorized federal compliance boundary across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. SaaS and AI vendors deploy their applications into Knox's single-tenant isolated sub-accounts, inheriting 60-80% of FedRAMP controls on day one, while KnoxAI automates continuous monitoring, evidence generation, and code-based remediation. The service is sold as a recurring managed subscription priced at approximately $500,000 per application fully loaded, compressing traditional 1-3 year, $2-5M+ FedRAMP authorizations to roughly 90 days.
Is Knox a public or private company?
Knox is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Knox founded?
Knox was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Knox based?
Knox is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Knox make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. FedRAMP-as-a-Service Managed Subscription is the primary driver. The others are marketplace/Channel Distribution Revenue.
Who are Knox's main competitors?
Coalfire is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are AWS GovCloud (Amazon), Google Public Sector (Google Cloud) and Microsoft Azure Government. Telos Corporation is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are GovReady, Palantir Technologies and RegScale. Emerging players are Secureframe and Vanta.
Does Knox have an API?
Yes. Knox provides a unified API layer within its managed federal cloud that allows SaaS and AI vendors to enter federal markets without re-architecting applications or maintaining duplicate infrastructure. This API sits on top of the pre-authorized FedRAMP boundary running across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, enabling vendors to deploy commercial software into federal government environments. No public developer portal, SDK libraries, or detailed endpoint/auth documentation is published.
What industry is Knox in?
Knox's product category is Federal Cloud Compliance Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAKAJ, FinOps for Platform & DevOps (cost governance/optimization), with a secondary code of FSAGAFAB, KYC/KYB & Customer Onboarding (CIP, beneficial ownership, screening). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7373.