Companies that use Defguard

Source: Analysis of Linkedin bios of 78 companies that use Defguard

I noticed that Defguard's users span an unusually wide range of industries, from blood centers and medical practices to architecture firms and software developers. What unites them isn't what they build, but rather that they operate in sectors requiring careful data handling. These include healthcare organizations managing patient information, financial services firms, energy management platforms, and gambling compliance systems. Many are service-oriented businesses rather than pure product companies: consulting firms, design agencies, medical practices, and B2B software providers.

These are predominantly established small to mid-sized companies. Most have 11-200 employees, with only two showing fewer than 10 people and just one mentioning any funding (Solwena's $1.8M seed round). The lack of venture funding across nearly all profiles, combined with references to decades-long operating histories (Shepeard founded 1978, Ruprecht since 2001), signals these are sustainable, revenue-generating businesses rather than growth-stage startups. They're past the scrappy founding phase but haven't scaled to enterprise size.

Source: Analysis of tech stacks from 78 companies that use Defguard

I noticed that Defguard users are security-conscious, technically sophisticated companies that prioritize infrastructure control and cost efficiency. The extremely high correlation with Keycloak (479x more likely) immediately signals these are organizations serious about identity and access management. Combined with Hetzner's strong presence, this tells me we're looking at companies that prefer self-hosted, open-source solutions over expensive enterprise SaaS products. They're building their own security infrastructure rather than outsourcing it.

The pairing of Defguard with GitLab and N8N reveals a clear workflow automation and DevOps mindset. These companies are using GitLab for source control and CI/CD, N8N for custom workflow automation, and Defguard to secure access across their infrastructure. This combination suggests teams that value flexibility and want tools they can customize deeply. The Azure presence alongside Hetzner is particularly interesting because it shows hybrid cloud strategies. They're not all-in on one provider, which aligns with the control-oriented approach that Defguard represents.

The full stack reveals companies that are product-led and engineering-driven. These aren't sales-heavy organizations buying enterprise bundles from major vendors. They're likely mid-stage startups or scale-ups with strong technical teams that evaluate and implement their own infrastructure. The presence of CookieBot suggests they're privacy-focused and compliance-aware, probably serving European markets or dealing with GDPR requirements. These teams have moved past the earliest startup phase but haven't grown large enough to default to expensive enterprise solutions.