In a cybersecurity market dominated by giants, Aerstone is betting that specialized compliance expertise beats generic platform bloat. With just 21 employees and $2.1M in revenue, they aren't trying to be the next CrowdStrike—they're aiming to be the most indispensable partner for organizations navigating FERPA, CIS, and infrastructure assessments.

"They aren't chasing scale; they're chasing trust. In cybersecurity, that's the only metric that matters."

The keyword data is fascinating. 'Blacknote' and 'black note' dominate their organic search, driving 1,380 monthly searches combined. This appears to be a different product or service entirely—perhaps a legacy offering or a parallel business. The fact that these unrelated terms drive more traffic than 'aerstone' itself suggests either a branding challenge or a strategic pivot. Their true cybersecurity keywords ('blog cis assessment feedback' at 440 searches) show they're building authority in specific compliance frameworks.

• Service-first model: Revenue comes from assessments and roadmapping, not subscriptions
• Compliance specialization: FERPA, CIS, and infrastructure assessments are core offerings
• Relationship-driven: High direct traffic indicates repeat clients and word-of-mouth referrals
• Lean operations: 21 people managing $2.1M in revenue with efficient margins