Cortex AES (Koi)
Compete Playbook

Where AES Wins

• Endpoint enforcement, not just commit-time scanning: Snyk catches vulnerable dependencies in source code. AES catches harmful AI tools and extensions at the moment they touch the endpoint, including extensions that were never in source code at all.
• AI tool inventory: Snyk has no concept of "which AI agents are installed on this developer's machine." AES's primary surface is exactly that.
• MCP-layer coverage: Snyk does not address the MCP communication layer between agents and tools. AES is the only product that does.
• Runs in any deployment mode: Standalone alongside any EDR, integrated into Cortex XDR 5.0, or via Prisma AIRS. Snyk is a single-product motion.

Watch For

• Developer-workflow integration maturity: Snyk lives natively in IDEs, GitHub PR checks, and CI pipelines. AES is a security-team product. Customers may want both — position AES as endpoint AI runtime, Snyk as developer-time code scanning.
• Snyk DeepCode AI scanning: Developer-focused AI code analysis. Different problem from agentic endpoint risk, but customers may conflate them.

Where AES Wins

• Different scope: GitGuardian focuses on secrets-in-code detection. AES focuses on AI agents and tools running on endpoints with production access. Complementary in many accounts; not substitutes.
• Real-time enforcement at the endpoint: GitGuardian's value is detection of leaked secrets. AES enforces policy on agents in motion.
• Agent-aware risk model: GitGuardian doesn't model autonomous agent behavior. AES does — prompt injection, tool chain hijacking, memory poisoning.

Watch For

• Existing GitGuardian deployments: Customers already using GitGuardian for secrets detection won't replace it with AES. Position AES as a new layer addressing a different attack surface.

Where AES Wins

• CrowdStrike does not have an Agentic Endpoint Security category product. Falcon focuses on traditional endpoint detection and response. Agent-aware enforcement, MCP-layer security, and AI-tool inventory are not part of Falcon's current offering.
• Standalone deployment removes the EDR-replacement objection: Customers committed to CrowdStrike can buy AES standalone alongside Falcon. No swap-out required to gain AES capabilities.
• Charlotte AI is an analyst assistant, not an agentic endpoint protector: Different problem. Charlotte helps analysts triage; AES governs agents that exist on the endpoint.

Watch For

• CrowdStrike will catch up: Expect CrowdStrike to announce an AES-equivalent within 12–18 months. Today, AES has the field to itself.
• Falcon Complete MDR positioning: CrowdStrike may try to bundle AI-tool monitoring into managed services. Counter with AES's purpose-built capability and three-mode flexibility.

Where AES Wins

• SentinelOne has no AES product: Same gap as CrowdStrike. Singularity is endpoint detection and response, not agentic endpoint security.
• Purple AI is an assistant, not a guardian: Helps analysts query data faster. AES governs autonomous agents executing actions.
• Standalone deployment is the door-opener: Customers committed to SentinelOne don't have to switch — AES runs alongside.

Watch For

• Marketplace ecosystem: SentinelOne's Singularity Marketplace integrations may give it a faster path to bolt-on AES-style capability via partners.

Where AES Wins

• Defender doesn't address agentic endpoint risk natively: Microsoft's AI security story is centered on Copilot governance, not arbitrary agentic AI. AES covers agents from any vendor on any endpoint.
• Multi-platform parity: AES works on Windows, macOS, and Linux with the same model. Defender is strongest on Windows.
• Three deployment modes vs. E5-bundled: Customers not on E5 don't pay the bundle premium for AES. Standalone mode is purpose-priced.

Watch For

• E5 bundling pressure: Microsoft will eventually fold AI governance into E5 at a "free" appearance. Counter with depth: AES is a purpose-built product, not a bundled afterthought.
• Copilot Security positioning: Microsoft will conflate Copilot governance with agentic endpoint security in customer conversations. Distinguish: Copilot governance is about one tool; AES is about every agent.