Aim secures enterprise AI applications.
Aona governs the workforce using AI.
Aim Security built a strong enterprise GenAI security platform: an AI firewall for runtime protection, AI-SPM posture management, and DLP across the AI apps and homegrown AI your organisation runs. Since the Cato Networks acquisition, those capabilities ship as Cato AI Security (AISEC) inside the Cato SASE Cloud, and aim.security now redirects to catonetworks.com. Aona is purpose-built for Workforce AI Security: shadow-AI discovery, real-time coaching, and hard-block DLP at the browser and endpoint where employees actually use ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude. One protects AI applications inside a SASE stack; the other governs the people using AI.
Enterprise GenAI security platform with an AI firewall, AI-SPM posture management, and DLP, acquired by Cato Networks and dissolved into Cato AI Security (AISEC) within the Cato SASE Cloud.
The Workforce AI Security platform for any company adopting generative AI, with broader endpoint coverage than the incumbents, a simpler trial, and one of the few that ships hard-block DLP for AI prompts and files.
Pick Aona if your problem is the workforce using AI tools: shadow-AI discovery, real-time coaching, hard-block DLP with layout-preserving file redaction, and a 30-day self-serve trial with published pricing, deployable in hours without a SASE commitment. Pick Aim Security's technology, now Cato AI Security (AISEC), only if you are securing enterprise AI applications, agents, and homegrown LLM features and you run or plan to run the Cato SASE Cloud, which the product has required since the acquisition announced on 3 September 2025.
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Vendor facts last verified July 2026
What the Cato Networks acquisition changes
- Cato Networks announced its acquisition of Aim Security on 3 September 2025, its first ever acquisition, in a deal reported at approximately USD 350 million.
- The Aim brand has been dissolved into Cato AI Security (AISEC) inside the Cato SASE Cloud, and aim.security now redirects to catonetworks.com.
- As of July 2026, the AISEC capabilities are sold as part of the Cato SASE Cloud Platform rather than as a standalone product, so getting the value requires the Cato SASE stack.
- ?Can you buy and run the AI security capabilities without adopting the wider Cato SASE platform, and for how long?
- ?What does the stated migration path from standalone Aim services mean for your timeline, contract, and pricing?
- ?How will support and the AI security roadmap be prioritised inside a SASE vendor's platform agenda?
Aona is independent and purpose-built for Workforce AI Security, with no SASE dependency, 7-region data residency (AU, FR, UK, DE, US, SG, HK), and a 30-day self-serve trial, so you can evaluate the workforce surface without a platform commitment.
When to pick which
Five scenarios. The honest answer for each one.
You need an AI firewall protecting homegrown LLM apps and agents against prompt injection.
Aim Security ships an AI firewall for runtime protection of AI applications and agents. Aona does not protect the AI-in-your-product surface today.
You want a full AI inventory across both what your teams build and what your workforce uses.
Aim's AI-SPM, now Cato AISEC, inventories application-side AI assets and posture; Aona discovers shadow AI use across the browser and native apps on the endpoint. Neither covers the other's surface, so a full inventory pairs both.
You run Cato SASE for network-path AI control but need the endpoint layer covered too.
Cato AISEC enforces on traffic that crosses the SASE path. Aona adds endpoint interception of native desktop AI apps, hard-block DLP with layout-preserving file redaction, and a 30-day self-serve trial to prove the gap in days.
Your problem is employees using ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude, not your own AI features.
Aona is purpose-built for Workforce AI Security with browser plugin and native endpoint coverage. Aim is centred on securing AI applications, not the workforce surface.
You want a self-serve trial and published pricing, not an enterprise SASE sales cycle.
Aona offers a 30-day self-serve free trial and published per-user pricing. Aim's capabilities are sales-led and contract-quoted, now through Cato Networks.
What each tool actually does
Three columns on the Aona side because the browser plugin and the native endpoint app cover different surfaces. Browser-only customers will see fewer green checks than customers with both.
| Capability | Aona browser plugin | Aona native app | Aim Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | |||
| Workforce shadow AI discovery on the endpoint | Browser surface | Browser plus native AI apps | Shadow AI discovery, SaaS-centric |
| Native desktop AI app interception (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude desktop) | |||
| AI-SPM: discover and inventory AI assets and posture | Core capability | ||
| Visibility into homegrown and embedded AI applications | Application-side coverage | ||
| Govern | |||
| AI firewall: runtime protection against prompt injection and adversarial attacks | Core capability | ||
| Hard-block DLP on AI prompts (workforce side) | Modal pauses, no override | DLP for GenAI, application-side | |
| Real-time employee coaching at the moment of risk | |||
| Out-of-the-box framework templates (EU AI Act, ISO 42001, sector) | Posture mapped to AI risk, scope unclear | ||
| AI upskilling and behaviour-change programs | |||
| Protect | |||
| File redaction with layout preservation (DOCX / Excel) | Length-matched replacement | Length-matched replacement | DLP detection-oriented |
| Detection quality on AI prompt content | Strong detection, metrics not published | ||
| Operations | |||
| Deployment model | Browser plugin plus endpoint app | Browser plugin plus endpoint app | Cloud SaaS or isolated on-premise |
| Trial motion | 30-day self-serve | 30-day self-serve | Sales-led, contract-quoted |
| Compliance posture | SOC 2 Type II | SOC 2 Type II | Enterprise controls; SAML / SCIM / RBAC |
Based on vendor documentation as of July 2026. Email trust@aona.ai if you find a factual error.
What it takes to ship each one
- Microsoft Intune (Windows MDM, only path shipped)
- Microsoft Entra (admin SSO + user/group sync)
- Identity provider for SSO (SAML / SCIM)
- Engineering capacity to connect AI apps to the firewall and posture management
Where each one falls short
From public docs and customer interviews. If you find a factual error, email trust@aona.ai.
- No AI firewall for homegrown LLM apps or agents. Aim protects the application surface; Aona does not.
- No AI-SPM posture management to inventory application-side AI assets across the estate.
- No network-layer or SASE enforcement. Coverage is endpoint only: browser plugin and native endpoint app.
- Microsoft Entra is the production path plus general OIDC/SAML; no native Okta or SCIM auto-provisioning. Aim shipped SAML, SCIM, and RBAC.
- Centred on securing AI applications, not the workforce. No browser plugin or native endpoint coaching documented.
- No real-time employee coaching or AI upskilling at the moment of a risky prompt.
- Enterprise, sales-led, and contract-quoted. No self-serve trial for a mid-market buyer to evaluate quickly.
- The Aim brand has been dissolved into Cato AI Security (AISEC); getting its value now requires the Cato SASE stack, and aim.security redirects to catonetworks.com.
What your security review will ask
Certifications, pricing reality, data handling, and residency for both vendors, answered up front so your GRC and legal review can start from this page.
| Aona | Aim Security | |
|---|---|---|
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II (audit window ended February 2026). No FedRAMP or IRAP today. | Not publicly documented (as of July 2026) |
| Pricing and trial | Published pricing: Business plan $9.99 per user per month, Enterprise custom. 30-day self-serve free trial, no credit card. As of July 2026. | No public pricing and no self-serve trial. A legacy AWS Marketplace listing priced Aim at USD 100,000 per year flat; current pricing is quoted through Cato Networks. As of July 2026. |
| Where prompts are processed | Prompt content is processed server-side by the Aona API in your chosen region. Retention configurable: 30, 90, or 180 days. | Not publicly documented (as of July 2026) |
| Data residency | 7 live regions: Australia, France, UK, Germany, US, Singapore, Hong Kong. Prompts, files, and audit logs stay in-region. | Not publicly documented (as of July 2026) |
| DPA and security docs | DPA available on request. Security overview at aona.ai/security. SOC 2 report under NDA. | Not publicly documented (as of July 2026) |
Competitor facts come from public documentation and pricing pages. Where a vendor does not publish a fact, we say so rather than guess. Corrections: trust@aona.ai.
Try Aona - the Workforce AI Security platform
30-day self-serve free trial. Purpose-built for the workforce using AI, not for securing your own AI applications. Deploys via Intune and Entra in under an hour.