Startups > Sysdig

Sysdig

Sysdig stops cloud attacks in real time with runtime visibility and AI-driven threat detection.

Series G $744M total Founded 2013 San Francisco, California

Sysdig is a cloud-native security platform that stops cloud attacks in real time through runtime insights and AI-powered threat detection. It delivers unified visibility across cloud workloads, identities, and services to uncover hidden attack paths and prioritize vulnerabilities that matter most. The platform combines vulnerability management, adaptive runtime defense, compliance automation, and forensics in a single agent, serving enterprise DevOps and security teams managing containerized and Kubernetes environments. Sysdig differentiates through its ContainerVision and ServiceVision technologies, offering both security and observability capabilities that competitors typically provide separately.

Problem solved

Security and DevOps teams lack real-time visibility into cloud attack paths and cannot prioritize which vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and permissions actually pose immediate risk.

Target customer

Enterprise organizations with Kubernetes and container infrastructure requiring cloud-native security, compliance, and DevOps visibility. Particularly strong with mid-market to Fortune 500 companies managing complex cloud workloads.

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Founders

Loris Degioanni

Chief Technology Officer & Founder

Creator of open source tools sysdig and Falco; co-creator of Wireshark (20M+ users); PhD in computer engineering from Politecnico di Torino. Served as CEO from 2013–2018.

Suresh Vasudevan

Chief Executive Officer

Became CEO in 2018 and led strategic pivot toward cloud security based on customer feedback.

Funding history

Seed $2.3M June 2013 Led by Accel, Bain Capital Ventures

Series A $10.7M 2015 Led by Unknown

Series D $68.5M 2018 Led by Unknown

Series E $70M January 2020 Led by Insight Partners · Glynn Capital

Series F $188M April 2021 Led by Unknown

Series G $350M December 2021 Led by Permira Growth Fund · Guggenheim Investments, Accel, Bain Capital Ventures, DFJ Growth, Glynn Capital, Goldman Sachs, Insight Partners, Next47, Premji Invest & Associates, Third Point Ventures

Total raised: $744M

Industries

Cloud Computing Cloud Security Cyber Security SaaS

Pricing

Per-host or per-container licensing model. Minimum ~$7,000/year; average ~$138,240/year; up to $1.7M/year. Pricing varies by product (Secure, Monitor, Platform bundle), infrastructure scale, and feature modules. Add 15–30% for professional services, support, and compliance modules; first-year costs typically 20–40% higher.

Notable customers

BigCommerce, SAP Concur, Goldman Sachs, Neo4j, Apree Health, 700+ enterprise customers total

Website

sysdig.com/

Competitors

Wiz

Cloud security-focused; pricing 15–25% higher than Sysdig for comparable scope; lacks integrated observability/monitoring capabilities.

Aqua Security

Container security specialist; narrower scope than Sysdig's full cloud-native platform covering runtime defense, compliance, and forensics.

Lacework

Cloud security platform without integrated observability; different architectural approach to threat detection and forensics.

Orca Security

Agentless cloud security; lacks deep runtime visibility and forensics capabilities that Sysdig's agent-based approach provides.

CrowdStrike

Endpoint-focused security platform; does not specialize in container and Kubernetes security like Sysdig.

SentinelOne

Endpoint detection and response platform; lacks cloud-native and container-specific security features.

Why this matters: Sysdig pioneered container and Kubernetes security while building on the creator's legacy of open source tools (Wireshark, Falco, sysdig) that shaped industry standards. At $2.5B valuation with $744M raised and 140% YoY customer growth, it represents a proven cloud-native security category leader combining runtime visibility, threat detection, and compliance automation.

Best for: Enterprise DevOps and security teams managing Kubernetes and containerized workloads at scale who need real-time threat detection, runtime visibility, and compliance automation in a single platform.

Use cases

Real-Time Attack Detection and Response

Security teams use Sysdig's runtime insights to instantly detect anomalous behavior across cloud workloads—file changes, network activity, process execution—and block threats before they propagate. BigCommerce reduced threat detection time and noise by switching from legacy CNAPP to Sysdig's real-time visibility.

Compliance Automation and Auditing

Organizations like Apree Health deploy Sysdig to automatically detect violations of CIS, PCI-DSS, and GDPR requirements, reducing manual audit work by 10+ hours per month. Automated compliance workflows enable faster certification and reduced risk exposure.

Vulnerability Management Across CI/CD

DevOps teams scan container images for vulnerabilities in the CI/CD pipeline and block risky deployments, then maintain continuous monitoring in production. This prevents vulnerable code from reaching production while adapting to runtime changes that create new exposure.

Incident Response and Forensics

When threats are detected, Sysdig automatically triggers system captures and forensic collection to enable rapid root cause analysis. Security teams can investigate the full attack path without waiting for manual log gathering or reconstruction.

Alternatives

Wiz Choose Wiz if you need cloud-only security without integrated observability and can accept 15–25% higher costs for specialized cloud risk detection.

Lacework Choose Lacework for cloud security with a different architectural approach if you don't need unified observability and monitoring in one platform.

Aqua Security Choose Aqua Security for pure container and registry security if you don't require runtime defense, compliance automation, and forensics integrated into one solution.

FAQ

What does Sysdig do? +

Sysdig is a cloud-native security platform that stops attacks in real time by delivering visibility into cloud workloads, identities, and services. It combines vulnerability management, adaptive runtime defense, compliance automation, and forensics in a single agent-based platform designed for Kubernetes and container environments.

How much does Sysdig cost? +

Sysdig uses per-host or per-container licensing. Typical annual costs range from ~$7,000 to $1.7M depending on infrastructure scale and feature modules, with an average of ~$138,240/year. Professional services, support, and compliance modules add 15–30%; first-year costs typically run 20–40% higher due to implementation.

What are alternatives to Sysdig? +

Top alternatives include Wiz (cloud security-focused, higher-priced), Lacework (cloud security with different architecture), Aqua Security (container-focused, narrower scope), Orca Security (agentless approach, less runtime visibility), and CrowdStrike or SentinelOne (endpoint-focused, not cloud-native).

Who uses Sysdig? +

Enterprise organizations managing Kubernetes and containerized workloads at scale, including BigCommerce, SAP Concur, Goldman Sachs, Neo4j, and Apree Health. Sysdig serves over 700 enterprise customers; top 50 customers generate average ARR exceeding $875,000.

How does Sysdig compare to Wiz? +

Sysdig is 15–25% less expensive than Wiz for comparable cloud security scope and uniquely integrates both security and observability/monitoring in one platform. Wiz focuses exclusively on cloud security without observability, making Sysdig better for teams needing both functions integrated.