Cerby

# Cerby: Identity Automation for the Enterprise

High-Level Overview

Cerby is an identity security automation platform that solves a critical gap in enterprise security infrastructure.[1] The company builds software to secure "disconnected applications"—nonstandard enterprise apps that lack support for modern identity standards like Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), or automated user provisioning.[2][5] These applications fall outside the reach of traditional identity and access management (IAM) tools, creating both security vulnerabilities and operational burden.

Cerby serves mid-to-large enterprises across industries including luxury goods, media, insurance, fintech, and advertising.[1] The platform integrates with existing identity providers (Okta, Azure AD/Entra ID, Ping) and extends governance across the entire application ecosystem, automating manual security workflows that would otherwise require significant IT and security team effort.[2] Since its Series A funding less than 20 months prior, Cerby has achieved 10x ARR growth and expanded its customer base 5x, now supporting over 100 organizations and automating workflows across more than 2,000 applications.[1]

Origin Story

Cerby was founded in 2020 and is based in San Francisco.[3] The company was built with a singular focus: eliminating the operational burden and security risk created by manual identity workflows.[1] The founding insight centered on a market reality that traditional identity security vendors had overlooked—approximately 40% of enterprise applications lack support for identity standards, leaving organizations vulnerable and forcing IT teams to manage access manually.[5]

The company's name itself reflects this mission: it's a reference to Cerberus, the mythological three-headed dog guarding the gates of the underworld, symbolizing Cerby's role in preventing security breaches.[4] This branding choice underscores the founders' understanding that identity security is existential for enterprises.

Core Differentiators

• Purpose-built for the "last mile": Unlike PAM (Privileged Access Management), IGA (Identity Governance and Administration), or SaaS management platforms, Cerby specifically targets nonstandard applications that don't expose APIs or support modern protocols.[2]

• Patent-pending access orchestration engine: The platform uses robotic process automation and application APIs to create programmatic control points even when applications don't natively expose them.[2]

• Extensive application catalog: Cerby natively supports many applications out of the box and continuously adds integrations. The platform can also handle custom application requests.[2]

• Integration-first architecture: Rather than replacing existing identity stacks, Cerby complements them by extending control across disconnected applications.[5] It works alongside Okta, Azure AD, Ping, and standards-supporting IDPs.[2]

• Rapid scaling: The company has demonstrated exceptional growth velocity—10x ARR expansion and 5x customer growth in under 20 months post-Series A.[1]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Cerby operates at the intersection of two powerful market forces: regulatory pressure and application sprawl. As enterprises face increasingly stringent compliance requirements (particularly in regulated markets like Germany, France, and the UK), the inability to govern nonstandard applications has become a material risk.[1] Simultaneously, the proliferation of specialized SaaS tools and legacy applications means most enterprises have hundreds or thousands of apps that fall outside traditional identity frameworks.

The Ponemon Institute research cited by Cerby reveals the scale of the problem: 52% of organizations have experienced a cybersecurity incident due to inability to secure nonstandard applications, and manual onboarding/offboarding costs average $1,000 per employee.[2] This creates a compelling economic case for automation—not just for security, but for operational efficiency.

Cerby's emergence reflects a broader maturation of the identity security market. As foundational IAM platforms (Okta, Microsoft Entra) have become table stakes, the competitive advantage has shifted to solving edge cases and integration complexity. Cerby fills this gap, making it a natural complement to the identity stack rather than a replacement.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Cerby is well-positioned to capture significant market share in identity automation. The company's $40 million Series B funding and stated focus on expanding in North America and EMEA suggest aggressive growth ahead.[1] Key trends favoring the company include:

• Regulatory tightening: Compliance mandates will force enterprises to govern all applications, not just standard ones.
• AI-driven automation: Cerby's investment in agentic AI capabilities positions it to further reduce manual security work.[1]
• Platform extensibility: As the company makes its platform more extensible, it can serve increasingly diverse application ecosystems.

The fundamental insight driving Cerby—that identity security is incomplete without addressing disconnected applications—is unlikely to disappear. As long as enterprises run heterogeneous application portfolios, the "last mile" problem will persist, and Cerby's solution will remain relevant. The question is whether the company can maintain its growth trajectory and expand beyond its current 100-customer base to become a standard component of enterprise identity infrastructure.