# Running a Successful Pilot with Aikido A pilot should answer two questions fast: 1. Does Aikido fit your environment and workflows? 2. Does Aikido improve signal, coverage, and speed for your team? Most pilots run for 1 to 2 weeks. The goal is not to configure everything. The goal is to validate the parts that matter for your team. ### Suggested pilot plan 1. **Align on scope and success criteria.** Decide which teams, assets, and workflows you want to evaluate. Pick a clear owner for the pilot and a short list of must-have outcomes. 2. **Create your workspace and connect your first repositories.** Start by [creating your workspace](https://app.aikido.dev/login). Then follow [Connect Your Repositories](/getting-started/setting-up-your-account/create-account-and-connect-your-repositories.md). If data handling is part of your review, also read [Aikido Never Stores Your Code](/getting-started/setting-up-your-account/aikido-never-stores-your-code.md). 3. **Validate the core product coverage.** Cover the main scanners and workflows you expect to use in production. Start with the core checklist below. 4. **Invite the right stakeholders.** Add security, platform, and developer leads early. Use [User Management](/getting-started/automated-user-management.md) to get the right people into the workspace. 5. **Review results against your buying criteria.** Measure setup time, issue quality, workflow fit, and expected ROI. Use the evaluation section below as a starting point. {% hint style="info" %} Need more time before the pilot starts? Your workspace can fall back to the free plan until you are ready. Your setup stays in place. {% endhint %} ### Core coverage to validate These are the most common areas to validate during a pilot: 1. **Code scanning.** Start with [Code Scanning Overview](/code-scanning/code-scanning-overview.md) and connect your main repositories first. 2. **Cloud scanning.** Review [Cloud Scanning Overview](/cloud-scanning/cloud-scanning-overview.md) if cloud posture management is in scope. 3. **Containers and virtual machines.** Validate [Container Image Scanning Overview](/container-image-scanning/container-image-scanning-overview.md) and/or [VM Scanning Overview](/virtual-machine-scanning/virtual-machines-overview.md) based on your runtime footprint. 4. **DAST and attack surface.** Review [DAST Overview](/dast-surface-monitoring/dast-surface-monitoring-overview.md) if you want live validation on apps or APIs. 5. **Task tracking and ownership.** Connect your workflows through [Task Management Tools](/getting-started/task-management-systems.md). 6. **Team access.** Make sure findings reach the right teams through [Inviting Users to Aikido](/getting-started/automated-user-management/inviting-users-to-aikido.md). ### Optional pilot tracks If you want broader validation, add one or more of these tracks: 1. **Attack visibility and exploit paths.** Review [Reachability Analysis](/getting-started/reachability-analysis/introduction-to-reachability-analysis.md), [Attack Surface Monitoring](/dast-surface-monitoring/attack-surface-scanning.md), and [Threat Model](/pentests/coverage-and-findings/threat-model.md). 2. **Developer workflow coverage.** Test [IDE Plugins](/ai-and-dev-tools/ide-plugins-overview.md), [AI Coding Assistants (MCP)](/ai-and-dev-tools/aikido-mcp.md), and [PR Gating](/pr-and-release-gating/aikido-ci-gating-functionality.md). 3. **Malware and package protection.** Evaluate [Safe Chain](/code-scanning/aikido-malware-scanning.md), [Malware Detection in Open-Source Dependencies and Containers](/code-scanning/scanning-practices/malware-detection-in-open-source-dependencies.md), and [Aikido Device Protection](/aikido-device-protection/endpoint-protection.md). 4. **Advanced validation.** Run [Code Audit](/code-audit/ai-code-audit-overview.md) if you want deeper code-level reasoning. Run [Aikido Pentest](/pentests/aikido-pentest.md) if you want live target testing. 5. **Private and self-hosted environments.** If you scan internal apps or self-managed systems, review [Aikido Broker for Internal Applications](/miscellaneous-info/aikido-broker-for-internal-applications.md). 6. **Credit-based features.** If you plan to test credit-backed workflows, review [Wallet & Credits](/miscellaneous-info/wallet-and-credits.md) before you start. ### Suggested evaluation criteria Use these questions to structure your pilot review: #### Time to value * How long did first setup take? * How quickly did useful findings appear? * Did onboarding feel clear for admins and developers? #### Signal quality * Did the findings feel relevant? * Did noise reduction improve focus compared to other tools? * Did prioritization help the team decide what to fix first? #### Workflow fit * Does Aikido fit your Git, CI, ticketing, and chat workflows? * Can the right teams see and act on findings? * Do the integrations support how your teams already work? #### Breadth and depth * Does Aikido cover the assets you care about most? * Are the product areas deep enough for your requirements? * Do advanced workflows like IDE scanning, PR gating, Code Audit, or Pentest add value for your team? #### Buying confidence * Does the product replace enough tools or manual work to justify the spend? * Can you show expected ROI through better coverage, faster remediation, or less noise? * Does the support model give your team confidence? ### Getting help during the pilot You can work with the Aikido team in three ways: 1. **In-app chat.** Best for fast setup and troubleshooting questions. 2. **Slack or Microsoft Teams.** Good for shared pilot communication with your team. 3. **Documentation.** Use the docs to go deeper on setup, product behavior, and troubleshooting. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.aikido.dev/getting-started/setting-up-your-account/running-a-successful-poc-with-aikido.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.