SideChannel

What SideChannel does

SideChannel, Inc. (OTCQB: SDCH) is a Worcester, Massachusetts-based cybersecurity firm founded in 2019 that combines proprietary zero-trust software with fractional security leadership services. Its core technology asset is Enclave, a zero-trust network microsegmentation platform that combines host-based agents, software-defined network segmentation, and a Certificate Lifecycle Manager, complemented by RealCISO, a SaaS risk and compliance management platform aligned to NIST CSF, ISO 27001, SOC 2, CMMC, HIPAA, and other frameworks. SideChannel also delivers a Polymorphic Encryption Core (referenced but not technically detailed), a Threat Intelligence Labs and Insider Threat Defense practice, and professional services including fractional virtual CISO (vCISO) and virtual chief privacy officer (vCPO) engagements packaged in a three-tier SideChannel Complete suite (Begin, Balance, Beyond), plus managed cybersecurity (MSSP), penetration testing, risk assessments, and cyber engineering.

The company generates revenue through recurring monthly subscriptions: vCISO and vCPO fractional services at $3,000-$20,000 per month per public guidance, MSSP subscriptions with predictable monthly costs and no capital outlay, and Enclave licensing on a workload/agent basis (mix of consumption and unit-based models). Go-to-market is sales-led through ten U.S. local vCISO service hubs (Worcester, Boston, Buffalo, Washington D.C., San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia, Orlando, Chicago, New Orleans/Baton Rouge) plus Canada, augmented by channel partnerships (Recon Infosec for managed SOC reciprocity, Hitch Partners for permanent CISO placement) and federal procurement vehicles (GSA, NASA SEWP). Marketing relies on content, social media, industry conferences (including DEF CON 33, where Threat Intelligence Labs was debuted in August 2025), and earned media coverage.

The customer base spans more than 100 organizations including named logos CRISPR Therapeutics, Panduit, Cynosure, Shure, and the U.S. Department of Defense (two service-branch deployments, including 5,000+ on-premise Enclave agents in national intelligence networks), alongside mid-market firms across life sciences, manufacturing, financial services, and regulated verticals. Financial scale is modest: FY2024 revenue was $7.4M (+12.8% YoY) with a net loss of $785K and full-year positive cash from operations. The FY2026 trend has reversed — Q1 FY2026 revenue declined 7% YoY, 1H FY2026 was down 11.9%, cash fell to ~$595K, and management disclosed substantial doubt about going concern alongside a $930K annual cost-reduction program and a 1-for-52 reverse stock split effective January 22, 2026. The cybersecurity software and services segment grew 29.9% YoY in Q1 FY2026 even as vCISO services revenue declined 29.2%, indicating a transition toward software-led revenue that has not yet offset services attrition.

Name

SideChannel

Legal name

SideChannel, Inc.

Website

https://sidechannel.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SideChannel is a publicly traded cybersecurity firm that combines proprietary zero-trust microsegmentation software (Enclave) with fractional virtual CISO services, targeting U.S. mid-market companies, defense contractors, and federal agencies including the Department of Defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Consulting and Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Network & Infrastructure Security Services (Perimeter, Segmentation) (BPAKAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Microsegmentation & Internal Segmentation Firewalls (ISFW) (HDADABAK)

Keywords

• Fractional CISO services
• Zero-trust microsegmentation
• Managed cybersecurity services
• Certificate lifecycle management
• Cybersecurity risk compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Worcester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. vCISO and Fractional Security Services: Recurring fractional/virtual CISO and vCPO engagements that deliver strategic security leadership, board reporting, compliance management, and program oversight on a subscription-like recurring basis. Includes strategy, compliance, risk assessments, and program management.
2. Managed Cybersecurity Services (MSSP / MXDR / MDR / SOC / NDR): 24/7 managed security services delivered as affordable subscription with predictable costs and no capital outlay; includes Managed XDR, Managed EDR, Managed SOC, and Managed NDR with access to a virtual CISO. Sold as recurring monthly subscriptions.
3. Enclave Software Licensing: Licensing of proprietary Enclave zero-trust microsegmentation and certificate lifecycle management platform, including Enclave agents deployed on customer infrastructure. Mix of consumption and unit-based licensing models per workload/agent.
4. Penetration Testing and Risk Assessment Services: Project-based, periodic cybersecurity assessments including annual and multiple penetration tests, risk assessments, and gap analyses — typically delivered as one-time engagements.
5. Cybersecurity Engineering and Compliance Services: Implementation and ongoing managed services including cyber engineering, cloud security architecture, third-party risk management, email security, vulnerability management, and compliance support (SOC 2, NIST CSF, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC).
6. RealCISO SaaS Platform: SaaS subscription to RealCISO cybersecurity risk and compliance platform; bundled with vCISO engagements and also available as a stand-alone product for visibility and reporting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SideChannel combines fractional security leadership services (vCISO and vCPO) with its proprietary Enclave zero-trust microsegmentation platform, delivering tiered cybersecurity service bundles (Begin, Balance, Beyond) that integrate people, process, and technology. Core offerings include virtual CISO advisory, managed cybersecurity (MXDR/EDR/SOC/NDR), the RealCISO SaaS risk and compliance platform, penetration testing, cloud security services, insider threat defense, and the Enclave software platform for zero-trust segmentation and certificate lifecycle automation.

Product overview

SideChannel delivers a hybrid offering that pairs a proprietary zero-trust software platform, Enclave, with a comprehensive suite of fractional security services branded SideChannel Complete. The Enclave platform is the company's core technology asset and is composed of several modules, including Enclave Network Segmentation (microsegmentation), the Enclave Certificate Lifecycle Manager, and the Enclave Secure Web Gateway. These modules deliver asset intelligence, zero-trust network segmentation, certificate lifecycle automation, and secure web gateway functionality, and are deployed across federal agencies (including two U.S. Department of Defense service branches) as well as commercial clients. Complementing Enclave is the RealCISO SaaS governance platform, which provides risk assessment, dashboards, and reporting mapped to frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, HIPAA, and CMMC. On the services side, SideChannel Complete is delivered in three tiers — Begin, Balance, and Beyond — which bundle Virtual CISO (vCISO) and Virtual Chief Privacy Officer (vCPO) leadership, penetration testing, third-party risk management, managed cybersecurity (MSSP) including Managed XDR/EDR/SOC/NDR, cybersecurity compliance, risk assessments, cyber engineering, cloud security services, and the Insider Threat Defense practice powered by the Threat Intelligence Labs platform launched at DEF CON 33. Together, Enclave's technology modules and the SideChannel Complete service tiers form an integrated, platform-plus-services architecture designed to take emerging and mid-market companies from zero to zero-trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Enclave: Proprietary zero-trust network microsegmentation platform offering asset intelligence, network segmentation, certificate lifecycle management, and secure web gateway capabilities.
• RealCISO
• SideChannel Complete
• (IN)Side Threat Defense Lab

Products and services

• Enclave

Quantifiable outcome

• 240+ combined years of security leadership experience across the team
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration20 records

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Second U.S. Department of Defense service branch (via federal resale partner)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 June 2025Deployment of Enclave zero-trust software at a second DoD service branch, facilitated through one of SideChannel's federal resale partners. Includes 5,000+ Enclave agents operating on-premise within national intelligence networks, with primary use cases of asset intelligence and certificate management.
• Recon InfoseccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2025Recon Infosec's clients gain access to SideChannel's virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) services, and SideChannel's clients gain access to Recon's Managed Security Operations services. Recon's CEO Bob Drobish framed the alliance around the "3 pillars of cybersecurity" — Risk Management (SideChannel vCISO), Network Operations, and Security Operations (Recon). SideChannel's VP of Partnerships David Menichello described it as a "better together" story combining GRC and managed security operations.
• U.S. Department of Defense (defense research and development organization)coreOthers · 29 October 2024SideChannel won an initial contract with a prominent defense research and development organization within the U.S. DoD to implement the Enclave zero-trust network microsegmentation solution, replacing legacy systems that were costly, unreliable, and hard to maintain.
• Hitch PartnerssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerReferenced as SideChannel's permanent-solution partner — when startups outgrow SideChannel's fractional CISO model, Hitch Partners helps clients find the right full-time CISO to take over the program.
• GSA and NASA SEWP (federal contract vehicles)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSideChannel's Enclave solution is available through GSA and NASA SEWP contract vehicles, streamlining federal procurement for government agencies wanting to deploy the zero-trust microsegmentation platform.
• CrowdStrike / SentinelOne / Microsoft DefendersecondaryTechnology or IntegrationReferenced as Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) options compatible with SideChannel's Managed Detection and Response (MDR) offering — clients can retain their existing EPP or switch to these leading solutions.
• AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Splunk, ServiceNow, Jira, DigiCert, Sectigo, Let's EncryptsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationReferenced as integration partners for SideChannel's SSL Certificate Management Tool, supporting cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP/OCI), DevOps (Jenkins/GitHub Actions/GitLab CI), security (Splunk, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Palo Alto), and certificate authority (Let's Encrypt, DigiCert, Sectigo) ecosystems.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Illumio: Illumio is the most established pure-play microsegmentation vendor, offering Zero Trust Segmentation for hybrid environments. SideChannel's Enclave platform is explicitly positioned as an alternative to Illumio in SideChannel's content, and both compete for the same federal, enterprise, and mid-market security buyers.
• Arctic Wolf: Arctic Wolf is a leading MDR / Managed Security Services provider serving mid-market and enterprise customers with 24/7 SOC, XDR, and a concierge security model. It directly overlaps with SideChannel's Managed Cybersecurity (MSSP / MXDR / MDR / SOC) offering and the bundled SideChannel Complete tiers, both targeting mid-market buyers seeking outsourced security operations.
• Expel: Expel is a transparent MDR provider offering managed detection and response across cloud, endpoint, network, and SaaS environments. It is comparable to SideChannel's Managed EDR/XDR/SOC service, both delivering 24/7 managed security with a focus on mid-market and enterprise customers.
• Keyfactor: Keyfactor is a dedicated certificate lifecycle management and PKI platform. It is a direct competitor to SideChannel's Enclave Certificate Lifecycle Manager module, with comparable functionality around certificate discovery, automation, and PKI integration.
• Tevora: Tevora is a cybersecurity consulting and advisory firm that, like SideChannel, provides vCISO, compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC), risk assessments, and managed security services to mid-market and enterprise customers. The two firms compete directly in fractional CISO and compliance advisory work.

Emerging players

• Zero Networks: Zero Networks is an emerging microsegmentation vendor focused on agent-based, identity-aware network segmentation. It overlaps directly with Enclave's host-based agent + identity-aware microsegmentation approach, and both target mid-market and enterprise customers looking for simpler alternatives to legacy segmentation products.
• ColorTokens: ColorTokens provides zero-trust microsegmentation and breach-ready security for hybrid environments. It competes head-to-head with Enclave in mid-market and enterprise deals, and both companies emphasize agent-based controls, cloud-orchestrated policy, and integration with EDR and IdP ecosystems.

Broad incumbents

• Akamai (Guardicore): Akamai acquired Guardicore in 2021 to add microsegmentation to its broader zero-trust and security services portfolio. Guardicore is a direct functional equivalent of Enclave's microsegmentation module, but Akamai sells it as part of a much larger security, CDN, and edge platform aimed at enterprise buyers.
• Optiv: Optiv is a large security solutions integrator and MSSP delivering consulting, advisory, managed security, and integration services to mid-market and enterprise clients. It competes with SideChannel across the vCISO advisory, compliance, and managed security services stack, though Optiv operates at significantly larger scale and a broader portfolio.
• Converge Technology Solutions (cybersecurity practice): Converge is a broader IT solutions provider with a sizable cybersecurity consulting and managed services practice serving enterprise and public sector clients. Comparable to SideChannel in vCISO, compliance, and managed security offerings, but as part of a much larger infrastructure and solutions portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sidechannelsec
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/sidechannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/SideChannelSec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sidechannelsecurity
• Instagraminstagram.com/sidechannelsec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SideChannel