Workforce AI Security · Why Aona

Aona
Lakera

Aona vs Lakera

Choose Aona for employee AI security.

See what sets Aona apart, compare the details, and try it on your own devices.

30-day free trialSOC 2 Type II

The verdict

The Aona advantage

Aona is built for employee AI security. Its offer includes a 30-day guided trial, hard block with no user override, layout-preserving DOCX, XLSX and PDF redaction, coverage of the ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude desktop apps and the first signal during the agreed evaluation. Lakera is for the AI you build: AI Guardrails screens prompts, outputs and tool calls through the Guard API inside your application, and it has no plugin or agent on the employee device. For the Check Point group's employee product, read Aona vs Check Point Workforce AI Security.

About this comparison

Aona is the Workforce AI Security platform for employee use of third-party AI tools: prompt inspection at submit, hard block with no user override, layout-preserving DOCX, XLSX and PDF redaction, coverage of the ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude desktop apps, real-time coaching and seven Aona-managed hosting regions, with a 30-day guided trial. Lakera, part of Check Point since November 2025, sells AI Guardrails (the Lakera Guard API) as a runtime firewall for AI applications you build, and Check Point AI Agent Security, documented as early access. The group's employee AI product is Check Point Workforce AI Security, compared with Aona on its own page.

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.

Lakera: Part of Check Point since November 2025: AI Guardrails (the Lakera Guard API) for applications you build, and AI Agent Security in early access.

Decision matrix

When to pick Aona

Five buyer scenarios, answered for employee AI use.

Staff paste client or patient data into ChatGPT, Copilot or Claude, in a tab or the desktop app.

Aona

Lakera's Guard API sits inside applications you build and has no presence on the employee device. Aona inspects the prompt at submit in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, covers the ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude desktop apps through the endpoint app, and hard-blocks with no user override.

You need a flagged upload cleaned so the work continues.

Aona

Lakera's data leakage defence screens text that your own application code passes to the Guard API. Aona redacts DOCX, XLSX and PDF on upload with layout-preserving, length-matched entity replacement, so the document still reaches the AI tool.

You need HIPAA, ISO 42001 or EU AI Act evidence for employee AI use, per team.

Aona

Lakera reports on the traffic your application sends to the Guard API. Aona ships EU AI Act, ISO 42001, SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR policy templates, reports policy violation trends and AI adoption per team, and exports to Microsoft Sentinel via OCSF.

You want the control running this week without engineering work.

Aona

Lakera's Guard API needs engineering time to wire into each application, and Check Point AI Agent Security is early access with native runtime integrations on the roadmap. Aona deploys the plugin and the endpoint app as part of the agreed evaluation through the deployment tooling IT already runs, with a 30-day guided trial.

Your engineering team ships a customer-facing AI feature and needs runtime guardrails on its own LLM calls.

Lakera

That is Lakera's category: AI Guardrails detects prompt attacks, data leakage and content violations on prompts, outputs and tool calls through a single Guard API call, with a self-serve Community tier. Aona is not an LLM firewall; use Lakera for the application and Aona for the employees who use AI tools.

Capability matrix

What each tool actually does

Choose a priority. Compare Aona’s browser plugin and native app with the other product.

Capability	Aona browser plugin	Aona native app	Lakera
Discover
Per-user shadow AI discovery across 10,000+ AI tools	Detection catalog; policy enforcement on the top-tier assistants	Supported	Guard API is called by your app; no employee device presence
Prompt inspection at submit, before the prompt reaches the AI provider	Supported	Supported	Screens prompts your application passes to the Guard API
Native desktop AI app interception (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude desktop)	The browser plugin covers the browser only	Supported	No plugin or agent on the employee device
AI agent and MCP inspection on the endpoint	Not included	Limited rollout, not general availability	AI Agent Security is early access; runtime via the Guard API
Govern
Real-time employee coaching at the moment of a risky prompt	Supported	Supported	Returns verdicts to your application, not to an employee
AI policy templates: EU AI Act, ISO 42001, SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR	Supported	Supported	Not publicly documented
Per-team policy violation trends and AI adoption analytics	Supported	Supported	Dashboards and reports on Guard API traffic
Protect
Hard block on prompts and file uploads with no user override	Supported	Supported	Your application enforces on the Guard API verdict
Layout-preserving DOCX, XLSX and PDF redaction on upload	Supported	Supported	Text screening through the API; no file redaction on upload
Runtime guardrails for AI applications you build (LLM firewall)	Not included	Not included	AI Guardrails through the Guard API; Lakera Guard lineage
Operations
Choice of seven Aona-managed hosting regions	Supported	Supported	US, EU and Singapore API regions; self-hosted option
SIEM export: Microsoft Sentinel via OCSF, REST API and webhooks	Supported	Supported	SIEM integration listed for the Enterprise tier
Free 30-day guided trial	Supported	Supported	Self-serve Community tier for the API; no employee-device trial
Time to first signal	Agree during scoping	Agree during scoping	Days, for the application you integrate it into

Discover

Per-user shadow AI discovery across 10,000+ AI tools

Aona browser pluginDetection catalog; policy enforcement on the top-tier assistants

Aona native appSupported

LakeraGuard API is called by your app; no employee device presence

Prompt inspection at submit, before the prompt reaches the AI provider

Aona browser pluginSupported

Aona native appSupported

LakeraScreens prompts your application passes to the Guard API

Native desktop AI app interception (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude desktop)

Aona browser pluginThe browser plugin covers the browser only

Aona native appSupported

LakeraNo plugin or agent on the employee device

AI agent and MCP inspection on the endpoint

Aona browser pluginNot included

Aona native appLimited rollout, not general availability

LakeraAI Agent Security is early access; runtime via the Guard API

Govern

Real-time employee coaching at the moment of a risky prompt

Aona browser pluginSupported

Aona native appSupported

LakeraReturns verdicts to your application, not to an employee

AI policy templates: EU AI Act, ISO 42001, SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR

Aona browser pluginSupported

Aona native appSupported

LakeraNot publicly documented

Per-team policy violation trends and AI adoption analytics

Aona browser pluginSupported

Aona native appSupported

LakeraDashboards and reports on Guard API traffic

Protect

Hard block on prompts and file uploads with no user override

Aona browser pluginSupported

Aona native appSupported

LakeraYour application enforces on the Guard API verdict

Layout-preserving DOCX, XLSX and PDF redaction on upload

Aona browser pluginSupported

Aona native appSupported

LakeraText screening through the API; no file redaction on upload

Runtime guardrails for AI applications you build (LLM firewall)

Aona browser pluginNot included

Aona native appNot included

LakeraAI Guardrails through the Guard API; Lakera Guard lineage

Operations

Choice of seven Aona-managed hosting regions

Aona browser pluginSupported

Aona native appSupported

LakeraUS, EU and Singapore API regions; self-hosted option

SIEM export: Microsoft Sentinel via OCSF, REST API and webhooks

Aona browser pluginSupported

Aona native appSupported

LakeraSIEM integration listed for the Enterprise tier

Free 30-day guided trial

Aona browser pluginSupported

Aona native appSupported

LakeraSelf-serve Community tier for the API; no employee-device trial

Time to first signal

Aona browser pluginAgree during scoping

Aona native appAgree during scoping

LakeraDays, for the application you integrate it into

Based on vendor documentation as of September 2026. Email trust@aona.ai if you find a factual error.

Deployment

From evaluation to rollout.

Aona

Shape: Browser plugin for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari plus a native endpoint app for Windows and macOS, deployed by IT with its existing software deployment tools (Intune is one option). No network routing or DNS changes.
Time to first signal: Agree during scoping
What IT must change: Push the plugin and the endpoint app with your usual deployment tooling and connect Microsoft Entra for admin SSO and user or group sync. Nothing changes on the network, in the SSE or in Microsoft 365.
Prerequisites: A software deployment tool for managed devices (Intune, Jamf or equivalent)
Microsoft Entra for admin SSO and user or group sync; general OIDC or SAML also works

Lakera

Shape: API-first: your application calls the Guard API (SaaS in US, EU or Singapore regions, or self-hosted) for each LLM interaction. AI Agent Security connects agent platforms for discovery and risk assessment and is documented as early access.
Time to first signal: Days
What IT must change: Engineering wires the Guard API into application code and configures policies in the AI Guardrails dashboard; nothing is installed on employee devices.
Prerequisites: Engineering capacity to integrate the Guard API into each application
A platform.lakera.ai account and API key (Community tier self-serve; Enterprise via sales)
Agent platform connections for AI Agent Security discovery (early access)

Scope, stated plainly

Know the scope. Plan with confidence.

Aona

Aona secures employees' use of AI tools. It is not an LLM firewall, an AI-SPM tool or a red-teaming product for AI you build.
Aona does not audit models or keep a model registry. That is model governance, a different discipline.
Coverage needs the Aona plugin or endpoint app on the device. There is no agentless or network-only mode, so personal and unmanaged devices are out of scope.
AI agent and MCP inspection ships in limited rollout on the native endpoint app, not general availability.

Lakera

AI Guardrails enforces only where your application calls the Guard API; there is no browser plugin or desktop agent for employee use of ChatGPT, Copilot or Claude. As of September 2026.
Check Point AI Agent Security is documented as an early access release, with native platform runtime integrations on the roadmap. As of September 2026.
The group's employee AI product is Check Point Workforce AI Security, a separate product with its own editions and no self-serve trial. As of September 2026.
The self-serve path covers the API only: a Community tier at platform.lakera.ai for the Guard API, with nothing to install or trial on an employee device. As of September 2026.

Security review facts

Ready for your security review.

Certifications, data handling, and residency for both vendors, answered up front so your GRC and legal review can start from this page.

Certifications

Aona

SOC 2 Type II (observation period to January 2026, report issued March 2026; trust center at trust.aona.ai). No FedRAMP or IRAP today.

Lakera

SOC 2 Type II stated in the Lakera documentation, with encryption at rest and in transit; GDPR compliance listed on platform.lakera.ai. Certifications for Check Point AI Agent Security are not documented separately. As of September 2026.

Trial

Aona

Free for 30 days. Start with a scoping conversation; access is arranged after deployment requirements are confirmed.

Lakera

Self-serve sign-up at platform.lakera.ai with a Community tier for the Guard API (SaaS, EU hosting) and an Enterprise tier with SaaS or self-hosted deployment. Nothing to trial on an employee device. As of September 2026.

Where prompts are processed

Aona

Choose backend hosting separately from Aona prompt processing. Host the backend in your cloud, on your premises or on Aona-managed servers. Process prompts on the user device/on-edge, in your cloud or on-premises, or on Aona-managed servers. Confirm the supported configuration, retention, telemetry and integrations for your rollout; these choices do not change a third-party AI provider's data handling.

Lakera

Prompts and outputs sent to the Guard API are logged by default for the dashboard; logging can be switched off per request. Regional endpoints in the US, the EU (Ireland) and Singapore, plus self-hosted deployments. As of September 2026.

Data residency

Aona

Aona-managed backend hosting has seven regions: Australia, France, UK, Germany, US, Singapore and Hong Kong. Select prompt processing separately; confirm storage, retention, telemetry and any cross-region transfers for the supported configuration. Third-party AI providers have their own data handling.

Lakera

Community tier hosted in the EU; Enterprise offers EU or US, with the option to restrict which regions may process requests and where logs are stored, or a self-hosted Guard API. As of September 2026.

DPA and security docs

Aona

DPA available on request. Trust center at trust.aona.ai, security overview at aona.ai/security. SOC 2 report under NDA.

Lakera

Privacy and security policies are linked from lakera.ai; the security page now redirects to checkpoint.com/ai-security. Ask Check Point for the DPA that covers AI Guardrails. As of September 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.

When you would run both

Aona and Lakera, side by side

Aona and Lakera answer different questions, and both can be true for one organisation. Aona covers the employees who use third-party AI tools: the prompt inspected at submit, the upload redacted or blocked, the ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude desktop apps covered, coaching in the moment and evidence per team, deployed as part of the agreed evaluation from a 30-day guided trial. Lakera covers the AI application your engineers build: the Guard API screens what users and tools send into your LLM calls. If the AI use you need to govern is your employees', start the Aona trial; if it is your customers' use of your product, integrate AI Guardrails; and for the Check Point group's own employee AI product, read Aona vs Check Point Workforce AI Security.

Sources & review notes ↗Page updated: September 17, 2026

Aona publishes these comparisons to explain its fit for employee AI use. Competitor facts come from public documentation, are dated, and are stated as mechanisms you can verify. Corrections: trust@aona.ai.

Lakera AI Agent Security
Product reference: Current Lakera product scope. The Check Point workforce product is a separate comparison. This overview is not independent test evidence for every granular comparison claim.
Aona coverage and deployment scope
Aona's client and action boundaries; validate the configuration and actual policy result during your Aona pilot.

Get started

If the problem is employee AI use, start with Aona

Free for 30 days. Start with a scoping conversation; access is arranged after deployment requirements are confirmed.

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FAQ

Common questions from Lakera customers

Is Aona a competitor to Lakera Guard?

No. Lakera Guard, now sold as Check Point AI Guardrails, is a runtime firewall your application calls through the Guard API to screen prompts, outputs and tool calls for AI features you build. Aona secures employee use of third-party AI tools on the device: prompt inspection at submit, hard block with no user override, layout-preserving file redaction and desktop app coverage. Different buyers and different control points, so the two coexist.

Does Aona offer prompt injection detection like Lakera?

Aona classifies prompt content for the employee AI surface (personal data, credentials, source code, financial and client information) and blocks, redacts or coaches at submit. It is not an application-side prompt injection detector; that is Lakera's category, applied to your own LLM calls. If both risks exist, run Aona for employees and Lakera inside the application.

Do I need Aona if my team already uses Lakera for our AI product?

Yes, if your employees use ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude or other third-party AI tools. Lakera's Guard API enforces only where your application calls it and has no presence on the employee device. Aona covers that surface in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari and in the ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude desktop apps, deploys as part of the agreed evaluation through your existing deployment tooling, and starts with a 30-day guided trial.

Lakera is part of Check Point. Which Check Point product competes with Aona?

Check Point Workforce AI Security, the group's employee AI product, sold as Essentials (browser extensions) or Enterprise (extensions plus a desktop agent) from the Infinity Portal. It is compared with Aona on its own page. Lakera's AI Guardrails and Check Point AI Agent Security, which is early access, remain application and agent security products and are a separate decision.

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