Center for Internet Security
The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is an independent, nonprofit organization that develops globally recognized cybersecurity frameworks — the CIS Critical Security Controls and 100+ CIS Benchmarks — and operates MS-ISAC and EI-ISAC to provide 24x7x365 threat intelligence, managed detection and response, and cybersecurity services primarily to U.S. state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, with commercial SecureSuite memberships as a secondary market.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersEast Greenbush, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Center for Internet Security does
The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is an independent, U.S.-based nonprofit founded in 2000, headquartered in Clifton Park, New York, with 251–500 employees. The organization develops and maintains globally recognized cybersecurity frameworks — the CIS Critical Security Controls (currently v8.1) and 100+ CIS Benchmarks covering more than 25 vendor product families — through a consensus-based community of IT security practitioners using the CIS WorkBench collaboration platform. Its product portfolio includes assessment tools (CIS-CAT Pro, CIS-CAT Lite, CIS CSAT, CIS RAM), cloud security offerings (CIS Hardened Images on AWS Marketplace and embedded CIS Benchmarks in Microsoft Azure), threat intelligence (ThreatWA), and the CIS SecureSuite membership bundle.
CIS operates two federally associated Information Sharing and Analysis Centers: MS-ISAC for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial governments and EI-ISAC for SLTT election offices, both backed by a 24x7x365 U.S.-based Security Operations Center. Managed services include CIS Managed Detection and Response (powered by Sophos Intercept X with CrowdStrike integration), Managed Security Services (in partnership with Accenture), Albert Network Monitoring, the Malicious Code Analysis Platform, Malicious Domain Blocking and Reporting Plus, and the CIS CyberMarket group purchasing program. Recent product additions include AI Security Companion Guides for LLMs, AI agents, and Model Context Protocol environments, and Control Assist, a tool mapping CIS Controls to cyber insurance underwriting for SMBs.
Revenue is generated primarily through annual and multi-year SecureSuite subscriptions, MS-ISAC paid memberships (transitioned from free federal funding in June 2025 after DHS terminated support in September 2025), CIS Hardened Images sales on cloud marketplaces, managed security service fees, and the Alan Paller Laureate Program grant distribution. Following the 2025 federal funding loss, MS-ISAC membership dropped from 18,000+ to approximately 5,703 paid members, with named exits by Connecticut, Virginia, Washington State, Kentucky, Colorado, and Michigan. CIS is governed by an independent Board of Directors chaired by Roberta "Bobbie" Stempfley, with John M. Gilligan serving as President and CEO.
Center for Internet Security firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Center for Internet Security
- Legal name
- Center for Internet Security, Inc.
- Website
- https://cisecurity.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is an independent, nonprofit organization that develops globally recognized cybersecurity frameworks — the CIS Critical Security Controls and 100+ CIS Benchmarks — and operates MS-ISAC and EI-ISAC to provide 24x7x365 threat intelligence, managed detection and response, and cybersecurity services primarily to U.S. state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, with commercial SecureSuite memberships as a secondary market.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Center for Internet Security industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Frameworks and Managed Security Services
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Managed Detection & Response (MDR) & SOC Services (HDADAGAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Security Operations Center (SOC) as a Service (BPAEADAB), Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) & Security Management (EDAOAIAG)
Keywords
Where Center for Internet Security is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- East Greenbush
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Center for Internet Security business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- SecureSuite Membership: Annual or multi-year subscription membership providing access to CIS-CAT Pro, CIS Benchmarks, remediation content, compliance assistance, CIS WorkBench customization, and technical support.
- MS-ISAC Membership: Fee-based membership model for state, local, territorial, and tribal (SLTT) government organizations, providing access to cybersecurity resources, threat intelligence, and incident response. Transitioned from free federal funding to paid model in June 2025 after DHS funding cuts.
- CIS Services: Various fee-based services including Albert Network Monitoring (IDS), Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Managed Security Services (MSS), Malicious Code Analysis Platform, Malicious Domain Blocking and Reporting Plus, and CyberMarket (group purchasing discounts).
- Alan Paller Laureate Program Grants: Grant program offering up to $250,000 to nonprofit organizations and academic institutions for cybersecurity innovations. This is an outgoing grant program, not revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | CIS SecureSuite Membership with multi-year discounts |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | CIS-CAT Lite free tool |
| Subscription | Annual | MS-ISAC Paid Membership |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Alan Paller Laureate Program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels11 records
Center for Internet Security product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CIS develops and distributes globally recognized cybersecurity frameworks — the CIS Critical Security Controls and the CIS Benchmarks — and offers an integrated portfolio of assessment tools, hardened cloud images, threat intelligence, and managed security services. For U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments it operates the MS-ISAC and EI-ISAC, providing 24x7x365 threat intelligence and a U.S.-based Security Operations Center, alongside managed detection and response, intrusion detection, and incident response services. Commercial customers access these capabilities through the paid CIS SecureSuite membership.
Product overview
The Center for Internet Security (CIS) offers a comprehensive cybersecurity portfolio consisting of core frameworks (CIS Critical Security Controls® and CIS Benchmarks™), assessment tools (CIS-CAT Pro/Lite, CIS CSAT, CIS RAM), cloud security products (CIS Hardened Images® on AWS/Azure), and integrated membership platforms (CIS SecureSuite®). For U.S. SLTT governments, CIS operates the MS-ISAC® and EI-ISAC® ISACs providing 24x7x365 threat intelligence and SOC services, complemented by managed services (CIS MDR™, Managed Security Services, Albert Network Monitoring®). The product ecosystem includes the CIS WorkBench community platform, ThreatWA™ threat intelligence, and supplementary services like Malicious Code Analysis Platform, CIS CyberMarket®, and MDBRplus. Recent additions include AI security companion guides (April 2026) extending CIS Controls to cover AI agents and MCP environments, and Control Assist™ bridging cybersecurity controls with cyber insurance underwriting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CIS Critical Security Controls® (CIS Controls): Prioritized and simplified best practices for cybersecurity defense.
- CIS Benchmarks™
- CIS Hardened Images®
- CIS SecureSuite®
- CIS-CAT® Pro
- MS-ISAC®
- EI-ISAC®
- Albert Network Monitoring®
- CIS Managed Detection and Response™ (CIS MDR)
- Malicious Code Analysis Platform (MCAP)
- Malicious Domain Blocking and Reporting Plus (MDBR Plus)
- CIS CyberMarket®
- CIS RAM
- ThreatWA™
- Secure Cyber City™
- Alan Paller Laureate Program
- Control Assist™
Products and services
- CIS Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls)
- CIS Benchmarks
- CIS Hardened Images
- CIS SecureSuite
- CIS-CAT Pro Assessor
- CIS-CAT Lite
- CIS WorkBench
- CIS RAM
- CIS CSAT
- ThreatWA
- MS-ISAC
- EI-ISAC
- Albert Network Monitoring
- CIS Managed Detection and Response (CIS MDR)
- Managed Security Services (MSS)
- Malicious Code Analysis Platform (MCAP)
- CIS CyberMarket
- Malicious Domain Blocking and Reporting Plus (MDBRplus)
- Control Assist
- CIS Controls Accreditation
- AI Security Companion Guides (CIS Controls v8.1 for LLMs, AI Agents, MCP)
- MCP Companion Guide
Quantifiable outcome
- 43% of organizations have over half their employees regularly using AI agents, with 54% reporting 1-100 unsanctioned AI agents in their environments and only 31% having formal AI-agent governance policies.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Center for Internet Security
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Center for Internet Security technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability6 records
Feature8 records
Center for Internet Security partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SANS InstitutecorePartnership to bundle CIS Hardened Images with SANS cloud security training, available through AWS Marketplace. Combines pre-configured benchmark-aligned infrastructure with practitioner-led courses for secure cloud migration.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreStrategic collaboration agreement to expand CIS Hardened Images availability through AWS field and partner channels. Deepens integration into AWS ecosystem with co-marketing, co-selling, and performance goals to accelerate secure cloud adoption. Builds on more than 25 years of existing partnership.
- MicrosoftcorePartnership to embed CIS Benchmarks into Microsoft Azure, providing built-in security configurations for supported Linux distributions. Automates security compliance and simplifies audit processes for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
- SURFminorPartnership with Dutch education and research IT cooperative to promote cybersecurity best practices across Europe. Includes initiatives to raise awareness and provide access to CIS security standards and tools for SURF member institutions.
- Astrix Security and Cequence SecuritycoreStrategic partnership to develop AI agent security guidance, addressing risks from autonomous operations, tool connectivity, and data handling in AI environments. Produced CIS Controls companion guides for AI agents and MCP environments.
- CyberAcuViewminorLaunched Control Assist tool connecting cybersecurity practices with cyber insurance underwriting for SMBs. Maps CIS Critical Security Controls to insurance questions for faster coverage decisions and better cyber defense investments.
- SAFECodeminorReleased 'Secure by Design' white paper to help software developers meet national and international cybersecurity expectations. Guide covers design, configuration, supply chain security, and AI/ML risks.
- SophoscoreCIS launched managed detection and response service powered by Sophos Intercept X technology, providing endpoint protection for SLTT organizations.
- AccenturecorePartnership with Accenture for Managed Security Services (MSS). Accenture receives logs, provides initial automated review, and CIS analysts perform threat analysis using SLTT-specific intelligence. Services monitor SLTT devices for malicious activity.
- CrowdStrikecoreCIS MDR (Managed Detection and Response) offered via CrowdStrike, providing device-level protection and response capabilities for SLTT organizations.
- CRESTminorInternational accreditation body for cybersecurity industry. CIS partnered with CREST to provide rigorous quality assurance for CIS Controls assessment organizations through the CIS Controls Accreditation program.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Center for Internet Security competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Critical Insight: Critical Insight provides managed cybersecurity services specifically focused on U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments and critical infrastructure—the exact same primary customer segment as CIS. It offers MDR, SOC-as-a-service, and vCISO services, making it a directly competing MSSP in CIS's core SLTT vertical.
- Arctic Wolf: Arctic Wolf is a leading MDR provider offering 24x7 SOC services, vulnerability management, and managed security awareness. Its subscription-based concierge security model closely parallels CIS's CIS MDR and Managed Security Services offerings, with overlap in mid-market and government segments.
- eSentire: eSentire is a pure-play MDR provider delivering 24x7 SOC services, threat hunting, and incident response. Its service model and target customer base (mid-market and regulated industries including financial services and government) directly overlap with CIS MDR and MSS offerings.
- Rapid7: Rapid7 offers MDR services (Rapid7 MDR) along with vulnerability management, SIEM (InsightIDR), and security analytics. Its managed detection and response service competes directly with CIS MDR, and its vulnerability management capabilities overlap with CIS-CAT Pro assessment tools.
- SANS Institute: SANS Institute is the leading cybersecurity training and certification organization and a strategic partner of CIS (June 2026 AWS Marketplace bundle). Both organizations contribute to practitioner-led security standards and education, and they jointly address the demand for benchmark-aligned cloud security training and assessment capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- MITRE Corporation: MITRE is a nonprofit that develops widely adopted cybersecurity frameworks including ATT&CK, D3FEND, and CVE. Like CIS, MITRE operates a nonprofit model producing community-driven security knowledge that underpins commercial and government security programs, making it a comparable framework organization though broader in scope.
- CrowdStrike: CrowdStrike is a major cybersecurity vendor whose Falcon platform underpins CIS MDR offerings and is also a competing endpoint security and MDR provider. As both a technology partner and an indirect competitor for the SLTT/government MDR market, CrowdStrike represents an incumbent with overlapping capabilities.
- Sophos: Sophos provides endpoint protection (Intercept X) that powers CIS's MDR service (launched September 2025). Sophos also offers its own Sophos MDR service, making it both a strategic technology partner and a broader incumbent competitor in the endpoint security and MDR space.
- Palo Alto Networks (Unit 42): Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 provides managed detection and response, incident response, and threat intelligence services. As a large commercial cybersecurity vendor with substantial government market presence, Unit 42 competes with CIS for SLTT and broader enterprise MDR and SOC-as-a-service contracts.
Others
- CREST: CREST is an international cybersecurity accreditation body that partners with CIS to provide quality assurance for the CIS Controls Accreditation program. While not a competitor, CREST is an ecosystem participant that validates CIS's accreditation services and enables the broader CIS Controls ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Center for Internet Security social profiles
Digital presenceCenter for Internet Security compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Center for Internet Security financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Center for Internet Security leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
Center for Internet Security funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Center for Internet Security M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Center for Internet Security
What does Center for Internet Security do?
CIS develops and distributes globally recognized cybersecurity frameworks — the CIS Critical Security Controls and the CIS Benchmarks — and offers an integrated portfolio of assessment tools, hardened cloud images, threat intelligence, and managed security services. For U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments it operates the MS-ISAC and EI-ISAC, providing 24x7x365 threat intelligence and a U.S.-based Security Operations Center, alongside managed detection and response, intrusion detection, and incident response services. Commercial customers access these capabilities through the paid CIS SecureSuite membership.
Is Center for Internet Security a public or private company?
Center for Internet Security is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Center for Internet Security founded?
Center for Internet Security was founded in 2000. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Center for Internet Security based?
Center for Internet Security is headquartered in East Greenbush, United States, in the North America region.
How does Center for Internet Security make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. SecureSuite Membership is the primary driver. The others are MS-ISAC Membership, CIS Services and alan Paller Laureate Program Grants.
Who are Center for Internet Security's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Critical Insight, Arctic Wolf, eSentire, Rapid7 and SANS Institute. Broad incumbents are MITRE Corporation, CrowdStrike, Sophos and Palo Alto Networks (Unit 42). CREST is listed as an others.
Does Center for Internet Security have an API?
No public API is recorded for Center for Internet Security.
What industry is Center for Internet Security in?
Center for Internet Security's product category is Cybersecurity Frameworks and Managed Security Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADAGAG, Managed Detection & Response (MDR) & SOC Services, with a secondary code of BPAEADAB, Security Operations Center (SOC) as a Service. Its NAICS code is 5415 and its SIC code is 7370.