"Work AI that Works"
Glean is an enterprise work AI platform that brings together search, assistants, and agents across enterprise data.
The platform connects to business applications, documents, chats, and tickets, respects existing permissions, and supports features such as enterprise search, generative answers, data analysis, deep research, and agentic automation. It is clearly geared toward enterprises rather than consumer self-service.
Glean
Work AI that Works
Location: USA ⓘ Publicly, Glean lists 260 Sheridan Ave, Suite 300, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States on its legal/footer pages; the Privacy Policy additionally lists 634 2nd Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States for data protection inquiries.
Glean Enterprise Flex Seat-based licensing combined with pooled FlexCredits for advanced AI features; includes platform capabilities and usage-based premium features. Other FlexCredits / Usage-based Features Advanced features such as Thinking Mode, Deep Research, Data Analysis, Canvas, image understanding, and other features may consume credits.
APIs / Developer Platform / MCP APIs for Search, Chat, and Agents; integrations with Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot, and MCP hosts.
Target audience
Glean is typically aimed at companies with many distributed knowledge sources and a mature SaaS landscape. Typical user groups include IT, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Support, People/HR, and Operations, as well as executives who want to find knowledge faster, create content, or automate recurring processes. Glean is particularly relevant where information is scattered across tools such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Salesforce, Confluence, ticketing systems, and other business applications, while permissions must still be strictly enforced.
Outstanding features
What stands out is the combination of Enterprise Search, Glean Assistant, and Glean Agents, as well as the integration of company knowledge with web knowledge in a unified interface. In addition, there are 100+ connectors, a Model Hub for various LLM providers, APIs for custom generative applications, data analysis features, and flexible deployment models with Glean Hosted or Customer Hosted. For companies with high security requirements, it is especially relevant that Glean respects source-system permissions, describes single-tenant deployments, and states that it does not train AI models on customer data.
Main use cases
Glean is primarily used for company-wide knowledge search, faster research, summaries from documents and meetings, content creation, data-based analysis, and agentic workflow automation. In practice, this can range from engineering research to sales enablement and support knowledge access, all the way to internal FAQ, onboarding, and compliance-related knowledge processes. The platform is therefore less a single AI tool and more a horizontal work and knowledge layer on top of existing enterprise software.
Usage & notes
Introducing Glean is not a classic consumer-style start, but an administered enterprise rollout with SSO, data source integration, and governance settings. A positive aspect is that customers can choose between Hosted and Customer Hosted; however, it is important to note that according to Glean, Customer Hosted is not a traditional self-hosted/on-prem model, but is still operated by Glean as a managed service. For data protection and compliance reviews, you should examine the DPA, SCCs, subprocessor list, support access, data residency options, and the specific LLM billing or the use of Glean Key or Customer Key in detail.
| Target audience | Assessment |
|---|---|
| SMEs with many tools | Suitable – if many knowledge sources, SaaS apps, and internal documents need to be made searchable. |
| Large enterprises | Very suitable – Glean is clearly geared toward Enterprise Search, Work AI, agents, permissions, and security controls. |
| Knowledge workers / Operations / Support | Very suitable – for internal search, company knowledge, answers from documents, People Search, and automation. |
| IT / Security / Data Governance teams | Very suitable – due to the zero-trust approach, permission inheritance, connectors, sensitive content policies, and audit/compliance focus. |
| Private individuals / small solo users | Rather unsuitable – Glean is an enterprise platform, not a classic consumer AI tool. |
Hosting & Data
1) On-prem / local hosting
Meaning: The company operates the solution on its own hardware or within its own infrastructure. In the strictest sense, not only the application runs locally, but ideally the model as well.
2) Private cloud / data center
Meaning: The solution runs in a dedicated or more clearly separated cloud environment, often with a hosting provider or hyperscaler, but in a German data center or in a particularly controlled environment.
3) EU SaaS / managed
Meaning: The provider operates the solution itself as a service. The company uses the tool as a ready-made cloud service, ideally with EU data residency.
4) Hybrid
Meaning: One part of the processing remains internal / local / in a private cloud, while another part runs in an external cloud or EU SaaS.
5) AVV / DPA
Meaning: This is the data processing agreement or Data Processing Addendum. It governs that the provider processes personal data on behalf of the customer and is bound by the customer's instructions.
6) No training
Meaning: The provider does not use your prompts, uploads, attachments, chat histories, or outputs for training or improving the general model — ideally excluded by contract.
7) Open-source / transparency path
Meaning: There is a path toward greater technical transparency and sovereignty, for example through:
- open models
- documented components
- self-hostable parts
- traceable architecture
- export / switching options
| On-prem / local hosting | ⚠️ |
| Private cloud / data center | ✅ |
| EU SaaS / Managed | ⚠️ |
| Hybrid | ⚠️ |
| DPA / AVV | ✅ |
| No training on customer data | ✅ |
| Open source / transparency path | ⚠️ |
On-premises / local hosting: partially
The website does not mention a true on-premises deployment on the customer’s own hardware. However, there is a customer-hosted deployment in the customer’s own AWS or GCP cloud, and the security pages mention operation in the customer’s own AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud. This is customer-controlled, but it is not traditional local hosting on the customer’s own hardware.
Private Cloud / Data Center: Covered
Glean describes “fully isolated, single-tenant” deployments and specifies operation either as Glean-hosted or in the customer’s own AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud. This clearly indicates isolated private cloud/dedicated environments.
EU SaaS / Managed: partially
The website mentions data sovereignty across global regions and deployment in the customer’s preferred region via AMER, EMEA, or APAC. However, the website does not specify an explicit, general EU/EEA data residency for the standard SaaS variant with specific EU countries or a binding standard commitment.
Hybrid: Partially
The documentation describes connections to on-premises systems via VPN or Shared VPC and mentions cloud-premises or customer-hosted scenarios. This points to hybrid architectures. However, a product option clearly designated as “Hybrid Deployment” with a complete definition is not specified in detail on the website.
T&C / DPA: Covered
A DPA is published on the Legal page. It governs Glean as a data processor, includes SCCs for EEA transfers, provides assistance with data subject rights and data protection impact assessments, and sets forth rules regarding subprocessors and notification in the event of new subprocessors.
No training: covered
The website explains that agreements or zero-retention policies with model providers ensure that customer data is not stored or used for model training. A separate user-side opt-out switch is not required on the website because the exclusion is described as a provider policy.
Open Source / Transparency: Partially
Glean describes an open platform and the use of leading open-source frameworks such as LangChain. Additionally, there are customer-controlled hosting options and published subprocessor/security documentation. Self-hostable open-source core components or an open-source license for the product itself are not specified on the website.
Data Processing
The website describes several operating models. Users access the central cloud infrastructure via 'app.glean.com'. For customer-hosted environments, the website describes dedicated cloud projects for each client; data processing pipelines also run there, and according to the documentation, processing in this model does not leave the client’s environment. For on-premises data sources, private connections via VPN or Shared VPC are mentioned. For AI models, Glean refers to third-party LLMs and explains its zero-retention and no-training commitments. At the same time, the list of subprocessors shows that several relevant providers are based in the U.S.; thus, when using SaaS or models outside of a strictly customer-controlled EU/EEA architecture, data transfers and third-country involvement remain relevant.
Conclusion
For the EU/EEA region, based on the information on its website, Glean cannot be categorically classified as a straightforward standard SaaS offering with clearly documented EU-only data processing. The most viable approach appears to be a customer-hosted, isolated single-tenant deployment in the customer’s own EU/EEA cloud, supplemented by DPAs/SCCs and careful vetting of the subprocessors and model providers used. Therefore, overall, it is conditionally acceptable.
Sources
| On-prem / local hosting | ⚠️ |
| Private cloud / data center | ✅ |
| EU SaaS / Managed | ⚠️ |
| Hybrid | ⚠️ |
| DPA / AVV | ✅ |
| No training on customer data | ✅ |
| Open source / transparency path | ⚠️ |
On-premises / local hosting: partially
The website does not mention a true on-premises deployment on the customer’s own hardware. However, there is a customer-hosted deployment in the customer’s own AWS or GCP cloud, and the security pages mention operation in the customer’s own AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud. This is customer-controlled, but it is not traditional local hosting on the customer’s own hardware.
Private Cloud / Data Center: Covered
Glean describes “fully isolated, single-tenant” deployments and specifies operation either as Glean-hosted or in the customer’s own AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud. This clearly indicates isolated private cloud/dedicated environments.
EU SaaS / Managed: partially
The website mentions data sovereignty across global regions and deployment in the customer’s preferred region via AMER, EMEA, or APAC. However, the website does not specify an explicit, general EU/EEA data residency for the standard SaaS variant with specific EU countries or a binding standard commitment.
Hybrid: Partially
The documentation describes connections to on-premises systems via VPN or Shared VPC and mentions cloud-premises or customer-hosted scenarios. This points to hybrid architectures. However, a product option clearly designated as “Hybrid Deployment” with a complete definition is not specified in detail on the website.
T&C / DPA: Covered
A DPA is published on the Legal page. It governs Glean as a data processor, includes SCCs for EEA transfers, provides assistance with data subject rights and data protection impact assessments, and sets forth rules regarding subprocessors and notification in the event of new subprocessors.
No training: covered
The website explains that agreements or zero-retention policies with model providers ensure that customer data is not stored or used for model training. A separate user-side opt-out switch is not required on the website because the exclusion is described as a provider policy.
Open Source / Transparency: Partially
Glean describes an open platform and the use of leading open-source frameworks such as LangChain. Additionally, there are customer-controlled hosting options and published subprocessor/security documentation. Self-hostable open-source core components or an open-source license for the product itself are not specified on the website.
Data Processing
The website describes several operating models. Users access the central cloud infrastructure via 'app.glean.com'. For customer-hosted environments, the website describes dedicated cloud projects for each client; data processing pipelines also run there, and according to the documentation, processing in this model does not leave the client’s environment. For on-premises data sources, private connections via VPN or Shared VPC are mentioned. For AI models, Glean refers to third-party LLMs and explains its zero-retention and no-training commitments. At the same time, the list of subprocessors shows that several relevant providers are based in the U.S.; thus, when using SaaS or models outside of a strictly customer-controlled EU/EEA architecture, data transfers and third-country involvement remain relevant.
Conclusion
For the EU/EEA region, based on the information on its website, Glean cannot be categorically classified as a straightforward standard SaaS offering with clearly documented EU-only data processing. The most viable approach appears to be a customer-hosted, isolated single-tenant deployment in the customer’s own EU/EEA cloud, supplemented by DPAs/SCCs and careful vetting of the subprocessors and model providers used. Therefore, overall, it is conditionally acceptable.
Sources
Strengths & weaknesses at a glance
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| • Broad integration base with 100+ connectors. | • No transparent self-service pricing; procurement is clearly sales-led. |
| • Unified search across apps, documents, chats, and tickets. | • For small teams/private users, the platform is likely to seem oversized; the official processes are geared toward enterprise deployment, SSO, and admin configuration. |
| • AI features for research, content creation, data analysis, and automation. | • No classic on-prem: Customer Hosted is explicitly not a traditional self-hosted model and remains a service managed by Glean. |
| • Multiple deployment models: Glean Hosted and Customer Hosted. | • Some of the security details are only viewable under NDA in the Trust Center/Security Standard. |
| • Strong compliance/security signals: SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001, encryption, DPA, SCCs. | Note: These are well-founded assessments based on the official product and deployment signals, not direct manufacturer self-criticisms. |
| • AI-specific privacy commitments: no training on customer data, zero-day retention. |
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GDPR-compliant usage possible?
Glean documents several components relevant to the GDPR in the EU/EEA region on its own website: GDPR compliance, a Data Processing Addendum with SCCs, a list of subprocessors, customer rights for the EEA, and customer-controlled hosting options—including deployment in preferred regions and operation in the customer’s own AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud. At the same time, the website indicates that standard subprocessors and LLM/cloud providers are based in the U.S., and the general privacy policy describes international transfers to the U.S. This appears to offer a viable path for GDPR-compliant use in the EU/EEA, but not as a simple, blanket solution for standard SaaS usage in all cases.
Positive
Positive aspects include the published DPA with EU Standard Contractual Clauses, the explicit designation of Glean as a data processor in the DPA, the documented support for data subject rights and data protection impact assessments, the list of subprocessors, the statement on data sovereignty across global regions, the option for an isolated single-tenant deployment, and customer-hosted deployments in their own AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud. In addition, Glean lists certifications and attestations such as SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001, and ISO/IEC 42001.
Negative
A negative or limiting aspect is that the website does not provide a specific commitment regarding EU/EEA data centers for the standard deployment, with named countries or regions. The published list of subprocessors includes numerous U.S. providers, such as AWS, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, Fireworks.ai, and Snowflake, as well as a support affiliate in India. The privacy policy also describes data transfers to the U.S. or other jurisdictions. The website does not provide a reliable statement confirming that the standard SaaS version is processed entirely within the EU/EEA.
Server Location
The website does not provide a fixed list of EU/EEA servers with specific countries for the standard SaaS version. It mentions global regions such as “AMER, EMEA, or APAC,” as well as customer-controlled deployment in the preferred region. The list of subprocessors includes several U.S. subprocessors and an affiliate in India. For customer-hosted deployments, the website refers to the customer’s own AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud; the specific EU/EEA location would be selectable by the customer, but is not further specified on the website.