Isovalent Cilium Mesh vs Isovalent Enterprise Platform: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Isovalent Cilium Mesh

Enterprise and mid-market teams deploying multi-cluster Kubernetes across hybrid infrastructure should pick Isovalent Cilium Mesh for identity-based microsegmentation that actually works at the kernel level instead of relying on overlay abstractions. Its eBPF runtime enforcement covers PR.AA and DE.CM functions simultaneously, meaning you get access control and continuous monitoring from the same data plane without separate agents. Skip this if your infrastructure is mostly VMs or you need CNAPP features like vulnerability scanning; Cilium is a networking and security layer, not a workload protection platform.

Isovalent Enterprise Platform

Enterprise security teams managing multi-cloud Kubernetes environments will get the most from Isovalent Enterprise Platform because its kernel-level CNI sits in the data path, giving you micro-segmentation and encryption that doesn't require sidecars or rewriting your applications. It covers NIST PR.PS and DE.CM thoroughly with transparent IPsec/WireGuard encryption and continuous network monitoring across hybrid infrastructure, plus automated compliance for PCI-DSS and SOC2. Skip this if you need CSPM or vulnerability scanning; Isovalent stops at the network and runtime layers, not the supply chain.