Bitsight and SecurityScorecard produce security ratings from externally observable signals, which suits broad supplier monitoring. Certisyn determines whether a specific claim a supplier makes is true, from the evidence behind it, and issues the result as a sealed record with its gaps named. A rating helps a buyer decide where to look. A determination settles what the buyer found.
| Property | Security ratings | Certisyn determination |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Externally observable signals about an organisation's internet-facing footprint | Evidence supplied for a specific claim: policy, telemetry, configuration, logs, registry records |
| Unit | An organisation, scored | A claim, determined |
| Output | A score and a rating over time | A sealed, policy-versioned determination with a public anchor |
| Gaps | Visibility depends on what is observable from outside | Every unexamined unit enumerated with a reason; every undetermined claim stated |
| Breadth | Wide: many suppliers monitored continuously | Deep: the claims that carry the decision |
| Reader check | Per the provider's platform | Public registry and recomputable derivation root, no account |
Ratings give a procurement or risk team a wide first view across a supplier base. A Certisyn determination follows for the suppliers and claims that carry weight: a certification a contract depends on, a control an insurer prices, a jurisdiction a regulator asks about.
A security rating summarises how an organisation looks from outside, using externally observable signals. A Certisyn determination addresses a specific claim, examines the evidence behind it and names the gaps. The 2 answer different questions.
Yes. A rating can prioritise which suppliers to examine first. A determination settles the claims that matter for the decision.