Coalfire
Coalfire is a PE-backed cybersecurity services firm providing advisory, compliance assessment, and offensive security across 85+ frameworks (FedRAMP, CMMC, ISO 42001) to 1,800+ enterprise, cloud, and government clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Coalfire does
Coalfire Systems, Inc. is a private, PE-backed cybersecurity services firm founded in 2001 and headquartered in Chicago, IL, operating as a portfolio company of Apax Partners. The firm provides advisory, assessment, and offensive/defrensive security services to over 1,800 enterprise, government, and cloud-service-provider clients across 85+ compliance frameworks including FedRAMP, CMMC, ISO 42001, HITRUST, PCI, HIPAA, and SOC. It holds the regulated C3PAO (CMMC) and 3PAO (FedRAMP) designations that restrict the field of qualified assessors, and maintains distinct federal (Coalfire Federal) and commercial practices.
The company operates proprietary technology platforms — ThreadFix (application security and DevSecOps, acquired with Denim Group in 2021), Hexeon (offensive security and threat hunting), and DivisionHex (elite cybersecurity team) — alongside an active R&D program producing open-source security tools. Recent product expansion centers on AI security: AI Threat Hunting for shadow AI and agentic risk, AI deepfake testing, and AI governance assessments against NIST AI RMF and ISO 42001 for hyperscaler clients such as Google Cloud and Workday.
Coalfire monetizes primarily through professional services engagements, with pricing ranging from approximately $15,000 for focused assessments to $500,000 or more for multi-year enterprise transformation programs. GTM is enterprise-direct field sales supplemented by channel partnerships with Drata, Vanta, and Orca Security, and demand-generation via the RAMPCon annual conference and an extensive thought-leadership content engine. Leadership transitioned in January 2026 to Brad Little, formerly of Google Cloud.
Coalfire firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Coalfire
- Legal name
- Coalfire Systems, Inc.
- Website
- http://www.coalfire.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Coalfire is a PE-backed cybersecurity services firm providing advisory, compliance assessment, and offensive security across 85+ frameworks (FedRAMP, CMMC, ISO 42001) to 1,800+ enterprise, cloud, and government clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Coalfire is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Coalfire business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Cybersecurity Advisory Services: Professional services including FedRAMP, CMMC, global compliance advisory, cloud engineering, and healthcare risk consulting.
- Compliance Assessment Services: Compliance automation platform and audit services across 85+ frameworks including CSA STAR, ISO 42001, HITRUST, SOC, PCI, and HIPAA.
- Security Services: Threat-focused cybersecurity services including penetration testing, threat hunting, incident response, and adversary simulation through DivisionHex.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Focused cybersecurity assessments starting at $15,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise transformation programs exceeding $500,000 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Coalfire product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Coalfire provides cybersecurity advisory, compliance assessment, and managed security services to enterprise, cloud, and government clients worldwide. Its core services span FedRAMP, CMMC, PCI, HIPAA, HITRUST, ISO, SOC, and other regulatory frameworks, alongside offensive security testing (penetration testing, red teaming) and managed detection/response via its DivisionHex elite team. The firm also sells proprietary platforms including ThreadFix for vulnerability management and Hexeon for offensive security operations, supported by its integrated CoalfireOne platform brand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DivisionHex: Elite cybersecurity team delivering offensive, defensive, and managed security services designed by experts who actively outsmart adversaries daily.
- Hexeon
- ThreadFix
- RAMPcon
- Coalfire AI Security and Trust Engineering
Products and services
- Advisory Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Time to market decreased by 80% through Accelerated Cloud Engineering methodology with AWS
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Coalfire
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Coalfire technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability7 records
Feature4 records
Coalfire partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and preferred.
- CMMC Partner Assurance Network (CPAN)coreCollaborative ecosystem designed to help Defense Industrial Base organizations navigate CMMC program and achieve compliance. Network connects DIB suppliers with vetted partners offering readiness, implementation, certification, and ongoing compliance support.
- DratacoreStrategic partnership to deliver continuous trust management and compliance monitoring. Combines Coalfire's assessment expertise with Drata's trust platform to automate control validation, reduce evidence collection time, and provide continuous assurance for stakeholders.
- VantacoreAI-powered partnership to enhance compliance and security programs. Combines Coalfire's expertise in assessments and penetration testing with Vanta's automation platform to reduce manual work and streamline audits.
- WorkdaycorePartnership for independent verification of Workday's responsible AI governance approach, evaluating against NIST AI RMF and ISO 42001 standards.
- Orca SecuritypreferredOrca Security selected as preferred partner for cloud risk assessments. Integrates Coalfire's cloud security expertise with Orca's cloud security platform.
- Google CloudcorePartnership to assess AI governance and security risks against NIST AI RMF and ISO 42001. Coalfire evaluated Google Cloud's Vertex AI platform, providing independent validation of AI security and privacy commitments.
- Denim GroupcoreAcquisition of Denim Group to enhance application security offerings and support DevSecOps programs. Leverages Denim Group's ThreadFix platform. Combined company serves over 1,800 clients.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Coalfire competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- A-LIGN: A-LIGN is a cybersecurity compliance audit and advisory firm providing SOC 2, ISO 27001, HITRUST, PCI DSS, FedRAMP, and CMMC assessments — directly overlapping Coalfire's compliance assessment services for similar enterprise and SaaS clients.
- Schellman & Co: Schellman is a leading cybersecurity assessment and compliance firm specializing in SOC 2, ISO, PCI, HITRUST, and FedRAMP audits, competing head-to-head with Coalfire in the mid-market and enterprise compliance audit market.
- Mandiant (Google Cloud): Mandiant is a leading offensive security and incident response firm (now part of Google Cloud) whose threat intelligence, adversary simulation, and IR services directly compete with Coalfire's DivisionHex practice for enterprise and federal clients.
- Bishop Fox: Bishop Fox is an elite offensive security firm specializing in penetration testing, red teaming, and adversary simulation — directly comparable to Coalfire's DivisionHex team in capability and target customer profile.
- NCC Group: NCC Group is a global cybersecurity consulting and assurance firm with comparable compliance, penetration testing, and managed security offerings; serves similar regulated enterprise clients across multiple geographies.
- Trustwave: Trustwave is a cybersecurity services and managed detection firm offering penetration testing, MDR, and incident response; the former Trustwave SpiderLabs team (led by Charles Henderson, now at Coalfire) makes the historical lineage directly comparable.
- Kroll Cyber Risk: Kroll's Cyber Risk practice provides incident response, penetration testing, and digital forensics services competing with Coalfire's DivisionHex, with a similarly strong brand in regulated enterprise and legal-sector clients.
Broad incumbents
- Booz Allen Hamilton: Booz Allen Hamilton is a major federal cybersecurity and consulting incumbent with deep DoD and federal civilian agency relationships, directly competing for CMMC, FedRAMP, and large federal cybersecurity contracts where Coalfire Federal also competes.
- Optiv Security: Optiv is a broad cybersecurity solutions integrator and advisory firm offering advisory, integration, and managed services to enterprise clients — overlaps with Coalfire's advisory and security practices from a larger scale.
- Deloitte (Cyber & Strategic Risk): Deloitte's Cyber and Strategic Risk practice is a Big 4 incumbent that competes with Coalfire for large enterprise and federal cybersecurity assessments, with broader scale and deeper C-suite relationships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Coalfire social profiles
Digital presenceCoalfire financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Coalfire leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Coalfire subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Coalfire funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Coalfire M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Coalfire
What does Coalfire do?
Coalfire provides cybersecurity advisory, compliance assessment, and managed security services to enterprise, cloud, and government clients worldwide. Its core services span FedRAMP, CMMC, PCI, HIPAA, HITRUST, ISO, SOC, and other regulatory frameworks, alongside offensive security testing (penetration testing, red teaming) and managed detection/response via its DivisionHex elite team. The firm also sells proprietary platforms including ThreadFix for vulnerability management and Hexeon for offensive security operations, supported by its integrated CoalfireOne platform brand.
Is Coalfire a public or private company?
Coalfire is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Coalfire founded?
Coalfire was founded in 2001. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Coalfire based?
Coalfire is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Coalfire make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Cybersecurity Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are compliance Assessment Services and security Services.
Who are Coalfire's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are A-LIGN, Schellman & Co, Mandiant (Google Cloud), Bishop Fox, NCC Group, Trustwave and Kroll Cyber Risk. Broad incumbents are Booz Allen Hamilton, Optiv Security and Deloitte (Cyber & Strategic Risk).
Does Coalfire have an API?
No public API is recorded for Coalfire.