Vanta announced today that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pillar Security. The strategic acquisition brings advanced runtime protection and adversarial testing capabilities into Vanta’s Trust Platform. Consequently, organizations can now connect policy requirements directly with real-time operational guardrails.
Pillar Security provides an end-to-end platform to discover, test, secure, and govern AI agents across their lifecycle. Modern enterprise AI agents regularly access sensitive corporate data and execute complex tasks. Sometimes, these autonomous agents utilize permissions in unexpected ways. Recent research from Vanta shows that 65% of business leaders believe agentic AI adoption outpaces internal understanding. Furthermore, under half of surveyed leaders maintain clear autonomy frameworks.
“Customers, regulators and auditors want proof that a company’s AI does what it says on the tin,” said Christina Cacioppo, CEO and co-founder of Vanta. “A policy document doesn’t get you there. Pillar Security lets companies test their agents and stop them when they go out of bounds, and Vanta turns all of that into evidence.”
Throughout 2027, Vanta will roll out comprehensive Pillar Security features across its platform. In January 2027, the platform adds automated AI inventory mapping alongside continuous runtime monitoring. Later in spring 2027, automated adversarial red-teaming will launch to identify vulnerabilities before exploitation. Finally, summer 2027 introduces real-time runtime enforcement to block unauthorized agent actions instantly.
Delivering Governance at Runtime to Accelerate Enterprise Adoption
Traditional AI security tools detect threats but lack crucial business context. Conversely, standard governance systems record static policies without tracking real-time agent behavior. By connecting Pillar Security to Vanta’s Trust Graph, every security intervention actively strengthens overall compliance programs.
“Pillar makes AI security work at the speed AI operates: we test AI systems the way attackers will and stop them the moment they go out of bounds. As every company becomes an AI company, that’s what it takes to keep AI secure and under control,” said Ziv Karliner, CEO and co-founder of Pillar Security. “Vanta is the governance platform thousands of companies already rely on. Together, we’ll make AI security a built-in part of every company’s governance program, so they can adopt AI with confidence.”
Industry analysts emphasize that static compliance documents can no longer manage machine-speed AI agents. Enterprise security officers require active controls that sit directly in the execution path.
“Active is too slow in the age of AI. Agents move through the enterprise at machine speed, and governance that only documents risk after the fact can’t keep up,” said Phil Harris, Research Director, Governance, Risk and Compliance Solutions, IDC. “CISOs need controls that sit in the path and act in real time. Moves like this one show the market shifting from AI governance on paper to governance at runtime.”
The acquisition expands on Vanta’s AI governance portfolio introduced in July 2026. Vanta now serves over 20,000 customers, including three in four Forbes AI 50 companies. Daily usage of the Vanta Agent grew 253% over the last three quarters. Additionally, Vanta surpassed $300M in ARR in April 2026, achieving 63% year-over-year growth. By adding Pillar Security, Vanta delivers seamless AI governance operating at runtime speed.
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