SCHUTZWERK

What SCHUTZWERK does

SCHUTZWERK GmbH is a privately held German cybersecurity services firm headquartered in Ulm with a second office in Hamburg, founded in 2002 and operating for more than 15 years. The company delivers independent offensive security assessments for organizations with high security requirements, spanning penetration testing, red teaming, embedded and IoT security assessments, automotive security (ISO/SAE 21434, TISAX), cloud and web application security, AI/LLM security assessments, social engineering, IT forensics, and threat/risk analyses aligned to IEC 62443. Technical depth covers silicon-to-cloud: hardware-level testing using EM side-channel probes, ChipWhisperer for correlation power analysis, Lauterbach TRACE32 debuggers, and Ghidra-based firmware reverse engineering, paired with higher-layer cloud and application testing.

The firm's revenue model is project-based professional services with custom scoping, multi-year framework contracts for enterprise clients, and free initial consultations to scope engagements. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, anchored by enterprise field sales (e.g., Deutsche Bahn framework contracts), supplemented by thought-leadership marketing through security conference participation, OWASP sponsorship since 2016, a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) program publishing advisories, and technical blog/research output. The customer base spans automotive OEMs and suppliers, rail and critical infrastructure operators (NIS-2 entities), and SMEs affected by the EU Cyber Resilience Act, with 2,500+ cumulative projects delivered. SCHUTZWERK holds ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 9001, TISAX Assessment Level 3, and IT Security made in EU/Germany designations, and is one of only a few German-authorized CNAs. Ownership is founder-operated (Jakob Pietzka and Michael Schaefer as Managing Directors) with no disclosed institutional investors or acquisition activity.

Name

SCHUTZWERK

Legal name

SCHUTZWERK GmbH

Website

https://schutzwerk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCHUTZWERK is a privately held German cybersecurity services firm delivering independent penetration testing, red teaming, and embedded security assessments for enterprise, automotive, and critical-infrastructure clients across the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Assessment Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Penetration Testing, Red Team & Ethical Hacking (EDAOAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Control System (ICS) & SCADA Security (HDADAJAA), Application Security Testing (SAST/DAST/IAST/SCA) (HDADACAC), SCADA/ICS Security (DCS/PLC/RTU) & Secure Remote Access (EUADANAB)

Keywords

• Penetration testing services
• Embedded security assessment
• Red teaming exercises
• Cloud security assessment
• Vulnerability research

Headquarters

HQ city

Ulm

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Security Assessments and Penetration Testing: Project-based professional services including penetration tests, red teaming, embedded security assessments, cloud security assessments, web application security assessments, AI security assessments, social engineering assessments, and threat/risk analyses. Services are tailored to client scope and requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SCHUTZWERK provides independent cybersecurity assessment and consulting services, including penetration testing, red teaming, embedded/IoT and automotive security evaluations, cloud and web application security assessments, AI security testing for LLM and agentic systems, and social engineering testing. The firm combines offensive security expertise with regulatory compliance advisory across NIS-2, CRA, TISAX, and ISO 27001, delivering project-based engagements through a senior consulting team.

Product overview

SCHUTZWERK is a cybersecurity services firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of security assessments, consulting, and training. The core offering consists of technical security testing services including Penetration Testing, Red Teaming, Embedded Security Assessment, AI Security Assessment, Cloud Security Assessment, Web Application Security Assessment, and Automotive Security Assessment, complemented by human-factor testing (Social Engineering, Phishing Awareness), specialized assessments (Endpoint Security, IT Forensics, SAP Security), and advisory services (Threat & Risk Analysis, Maturity Analysis). The company also provides CVE advisory publishing as a CNA, supports EU funding programs for CRA compliance, and offers professional training seminars. Services span from silicon-level hardware security to cloud infrastructure, with additional consulting in compliance (CRA, NIS-2, ISO 27001) and secure development processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Penetration Testing
• Red Teaming
• Embedded Security Assessment
• AI Security Assessment
• Cloud Security Assessment
• Web Application Security Assessment
• Automotive Security Assessment
• Vulnerability Analysis
• Breach and Attack Simulation
• Mobile Application Security Assessment
• Social Engineering Assessment
• Phishing Awareness Assessment
• Endpoint Security Assessment
• IT Forensics
• SAP Security Assessment
• Security Advisories & CVE Publishing
• SECURE4SME EU Funding Support
• IT Security Training & Seminars

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500+ completed security projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LauterbachcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2024Research cooperation for debugger/tracer-guided fuzzing in embedded systems. Joint development of methods to improve fuzzing and manual pentesting of embedded and automotive devices under greybox conditions without source code access. Combines Lauterbach TRACE32 debuggers with SCHUTZWERK's security expertise.
• Deutsche BahncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon two multi-year framework contracts: 1) Comprehensive penetration testing (networks, IT infrastructure, web applications, mobile apps, APIs); 2) Specialized OT and embedded systems security testing for critical rail infrastructure.
• udis (Ulmer Akademie für Datenschutz und IT-Sicherheit)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducational partnership for IT security training. SCHUTZWERK experts serve as instructors for seminars on IT security assessments, penetration testing planning, and certification as IT Security Officer (IT-Sicherheitsbeauftragter). EU co-financing available for participants.
• CVE Program (MITRE)coreOthersSCHUTZWERK authorized as CVE Numbering Authority (CNA), one of few in Germany. Can assign CVE IDs to vulnerabilities discovered by employees and customers, enabling faster responsible disclosure.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Trustwave: Global cybersecurity firm with a significant offensive-security / SpiderLabs pentesting practice. Overlaps with SCHUTZWERK in enterprise security testing while operating at much larger scale and breadth.
• Bishop Fox: US-headquartered offensive-security firm specializing in pentesting, red teaming, and attack-surface management. Direct overlap on offensive services, scaled with a much larger global delivery footprint.
• NCC Group: Global offensive-security and software resilience firm (parent of SEC Consult). Competes broadly with SCHUTZWERK in pentesting/red teaming while offering a much wider portfolio including software escrow and global managed services.

Direct peers

• usd AG: German security consultancy offering pentesting, security consulting, and PCI/ISO compliance. Overlaps with SCHUTZWERK in enterprise security testing and regulated-industry compliance advisory.
• REDteam Pentesting GmbH: German offensive-security boutique specialized in penetration testing and red team engagements. Directly comparable on service mix, geographic focus (DACH), and boutique scale.
• SySS GmbH: German penetration testing boutique headquartered in Tübingen with a comparable pure-play pentesting/red-teaming focus and similar DACH enterprise customer base. Closely comparable in size, services portfolio, and regional positioning.
• cirosec GmbH: Stuttgart-based German IT security consultancy providing penetration tests, security analyses, and incident response. Comparable boutique scale and DACH enterprise focus.
• TÜV TRUST IT GmbH: German TÜV-affiliated IT security consultancy providing pentesting, ISO 27001, and compliance advisory. Comparable enterprise compliance and testing positioning within the DACH market.
• SEC Consult (NCC Group): Vienna-headquartered cybersecurity consultancy (now part of NCC Group) with strong DACH presence in pentesting, OT/IoT, and automotive security. Direct overlap in automotive and embedded security verticals.
• ERNW GmbH: Heidelberg-based independent security consultancy with deep OT/ICS and enterprise network security expertise. Closely comparable niche overlap in OT/embedded and complex infrastructure assessments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/schutzwerk
• GitHubgithub.com/schutzwerk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schutzwerk

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 SCHUTZWERK