Critical Insight

About Critical Insight

Critical Insight provides cybersecurity solutions tailored for organizations that deliver essential services, such as healthcare providers, local governments, and utilities. The firm was established in 2011 as M. K. Hamilton & Associates LLC by Michael K. Hamilton, who brought extensive experience from his previous role as Chief Information Security Officer for the City of Seattle. His background includes managing security for 30 government agencies and consulting for a wide range of organizations at VeriSign Global Security Consulting. Garrett Silver joined as CEO in 2017, bringing executive experience from Capital One and Madrona Venture Labs, and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation. The company has undergone several name changes, from Critical Informatics to CI Security, and finally to Critical Insight in 2021 to reflect its comprehensive suite of services.

The company's business model centers on a Cybersecurity-as-a-Service platform, which integrates its software and professional services into a unified solution. This model is designed to assist clients with underfunded or overburdened IT staff by offering services to prepare for, detect, and respond to cyber threats. Critical Insight generates revenue through this subscription-based service, which provides a cost-effective alternative to building an in-house 24/7 security operations center (SOC). The firm’s offerings are particularly geared towards highly regulated sectors with critical infrastructure. In November 2024, Lumifi Cyber, a managed detection and response (MDR) technology company, acquired Critical Insight to expand its service offerings and strengthen its presence in the healthcare and critical infrastructure sectors.

Critical Insight delivers a blended service portfolio that includes Managed Detection and Response (MDR), cybersecurity consulting, and vulnerability detection. The core MDR service combines security analysts with technology to provide 24/7 real-time threat detection, investigation, and response from its security operations centers. This is complemented by a suite of professional services including security assessments, penetration testing, incident response, data governance, and virtual CISO services. The company’s platform is engineered to integrate with a client's existing security strategy, analyzing data from various tools to triage alerts and automate response workflows. This approach allows organizations to defend their networks and maintain operational continuity against threats like ransomware.