Aikido

Aikido Machine runs continuous AI penetration tests on a 4U GPU server inside the client's own data center, so source code, runtime, and findings never leave the network. That single architectural fact is what lets an agency sell security work to banks, hospitals, pharma, and defense buyers who are barred from cloud testing tools. Aikido's published SaaS tiers start at $350/month for 10 users and 100 repos, but the on-prem Machine is the SKU that opens accounts cloud vendors cannot bid on.

Aikido Machine is a 4U GPU server installed in the client's data center, running the full pentest stack and AI models locally so source code, runtime, and findings never leave the network. That architecture only pays off when the client's compliance posture forbids cloud testing. Before quoting, run three checks: does the client operate an air-gapped or strictly segmented network, does a regulator (finance, healthcare, pharma, defense, government) prohibit sending source code to a cloud scanner, and can their data center host a 4U GPU server with whitelisted-domain or encrypted-USB update paths. If any answer is no, the client is better served by Aikido's cloud plans at $350, $700, or $1,050 per month. If all three are yes, the agency can position the $8,000 Aikido SMB Security Audit (60h setup, up to 50 repos and 3 domains) as a SOC 2 readiness engagement that cloud tools cannot legally win.

Every security retainer carries an implicit liability ceiling: the gap between what an agency promises and what an attack surface can actually guarantee. Agencies that sell "we will keep you secure" absorb unlimited downside; agencies that sell defined detection, response, and remediation scopes cap their exposure while still charging recurring fees. The framework asks three questions before signing: what specific asset is protected, what detection window is promised, and who owns the residual risk when a novel attack path emerges. Cogent's VR-1 model maps attack paths across enterprise infrastructure, which reframes the deliverable from "prevention" to "path visibility," a bounded promise. Sentrint grades repository security and generates fix prompts, giving clients a measurable artifact rather than an assurance. Vaultak monitors and rolls back AI agent actions in production, another bounded scope. California SB 813 and AB 1405, signed September 9, 2026, formalize third-party AI audit expectations, which pushes agencies toward documented, auditable scopes instead of blanket guarantees.

Blast Radius Budgeting treats security scope as a function of how much damage a single compromised asset can cause, not how many assets exist. An agency protecting a 40-person client with one shared drive has a smaller blast radius than a 12-person client whose AI agents hold production database credentials. The framework asks three questions per engagement: what can be reached from the weakest credential, how fast can it be revoked, and who eats the loss if it is not. That third question is the pricing lever. Runtime governance layers such as Vaultak intercept agent actions and roll them back automatically, which shrinks the radius and justifies a lower liability premium; frontier reasoning models like Cogent map attack paths across the same infrastructure, which expands the billable discovery phase. California SB 813 and AB 1405, signed September 9, 2026, now formalize third-party audit expectations, so documented radius estimates become client-facing evidence rather than internal notes.

Adopt Aikido Machine only for clients whose data residency rules make cloud pentesting impossible, and price the engagement to cover the 60-hour on-prem setup before promising recurring testing.

Scope every security engagement as detection, evidence, and response support, and never contract for absolute protection.

IF your client roster includes regulated enterprises (finance, healthcare, pharma) or government/defense agencies with air-gapped networks that prohibit cloud-based security tools, THEN Aikido Machine's on-premises GPU server model is the only viable continuous pentest option, and the $8,000 Aikido SMB Security Audit offer (60h setup) can be productized as a one-time engagement. IF your clients are cloud-native SaaS startups without data residency restrictions, THEN the cloud Aikido tiers at $350/month (Basic, 10 users, 100 repos) through $1,050/month (Advanced, 500 repos) are the correct fit, and the on-prem Machine is unnecessary overhead.

Stand up an on-premises Aikido Machine inside a regulated client's network and convert continuous AI pentesting into a recurring compliance retainer, with all source code, runtime, and findings staying local.