AgentShield
How it works
All features Prompt-injection firewall AI guardrails Tool & data permissions Agent observability Audit trail Data-loss prevention Agent red teaming
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AgentShield vs Robust Intelligence - Now Cisco AI Defense

Robust Intelligence pioneered AI model validation and algorithmic red teaming. Cisco acquired it in October 2024, and its technology now lives inside Cisco AI Defense; the standalone product is no longer sold independently. AgentShield is an independent runtime control plane for agents. This comparison reflects what each is today, not what the brands were two years ago.

Capability AgentShield Robust Intelligence
Runtime enforcement in the action path Partial Guardrails via platform
Algorithmic red teaming / model validation Partial Core strength
AI supply chain / model file scanning × AI Defense feature
Per-agent tool and data permissions Partial Platform policies
Human-approval gates ×
Immutable action audit trail Partial Platform logging
Available standalone, self-serve × Cisco channels

The verdict

Choose Cisco AI Defense if you are a Cisco security customer and want model validation, AI supply chain scanning, and red teaming woven into Security Cloud at enterprise scale. Choose AgentShield if you want an independent, self-serve runtime firewall that enforces permissions, gates high-risk actions, and writes an immutable audit trail in the live action path, deployable without a Cisco relationship.

This comparison is meant to be fair and reflects publicly available information. Both products evolve; verify the latest before deciding.

What it means that Robust Intelligence is now Cisco AI Defense

If you are searching for Robust Intelligence in 2026, what you will actually evaluate is Cisco AI Defense. The acquisition closed in October 2024, the team seeded Cisco Foundation AI, and the validation and red-teaming technology became the core of AI Defense inside Cisco Security Cloud. You buy it through Cisco enterprise channels, and it is strongest where Cisco is strongest: large organizations with Cisco networking and security footprints.

The capability mix also shifted. AI Defense leans into pre-deployment work: algorithmic red teaming, model and application validation, and scanning model files, repositories, and MCP servers for supply chain risk. Those are real capabilities AgentShield does not try to replicate; if you need model supply chain scanning at Cisco scale, that is their lane. AgentShield holds the opposite lane: live enforcement while the agent runs, permissions on every tool call, approval gates on dangerous actions, and an audit trail you can hand an auditor. Test before launch with either; only one of us stays in the request path after launch as a product you can buy without a Cisco agreement. That split is worth keeping straight while you evaluate, because testing before release and enforcing in production are separate budgets. We cover the first on AI penetration testing and the second on AI runtime security.

FAQ

Common questions about this comparison.

Does Robust Intelligence still exist as a standalone product?

No. Cisco acquired Robust Intelligence in October 2024 and folded its technology into Cisco AI Defense, part of Cisco Security Cloud. The standalone product is no longer sold independently; procurement and support now run through Cisco enterprise channels.

What is Cisco AI Defense?

Cisco AI Defense is Cisco's AI security product, built substantially on Robust Intelligence technology. It focuses on algorithmic red teaming, model and application validation, AI supply chain scanning of model files and MCP servers, and platform guardrails, integrated with Cisco Security Cloud and sold through Cisco.

What is the difference between AgentShield and Cisco AI Defense?

Lane and ownership. Cisco AI Defense is strongest before deployment: validation, red teaming, and supply chain scanning inside the Cisco platform. AgentShield is a runtime control plane that stays in the live action path: injection firewall, per-agent permissions, human-approval gates, and an immutable audit trail, self-serve and vendor-neutral.

Can I use both?

Yes, and the combination is coherent: use validation and red teaming to find weaknesses before launch, and runtime enforcement to control what the agent can actually do in production. AgentShield also ships its own red-team attack runs, so smaller teams often get adequate pre-launch testing without a second vendor.

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