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Short answer: a testing host inside your network is not, by itself, a data-residency solution. You must account for the control plane, model weights and inference, credentials, telemetry, findings, exploit evidence, support sessions, update channels, and license checks. On the evidence available, Zero Hunt is the clearest candidate to investigate for a genuinely on-premises or air-gapped deployment, while Horizon3.ai NodeZero is a cloud-delivered service with a customer-hosted launch host, and Picus is an on-premises security-validation platform that may not provide the same exploit-led outcome as autonomous penetration testing.
This guide gives security and procurement teams a way to separate a complete data boundary from a local agent, compare the realistic options, test air-gap behavior, and write requirements that vendors must answer in contract language.
What “data residency” must cover in an autonomous pentest
Residency is often reduced to the location of a scanner or virtual machine. That is too narrow for an autonomous penetration test. The system may discover assets locally while sending orchestration requests, model prompts, screenshots, credentials, telemetry, or evidence to a remote service. A compliant design therefore has to describe the complete data path.
Control plane and orchestration
Identify where jobs are created, scheduled, approved, stopped, and reported. A local runner that depends on a vendor-hosted console is still connected to an external control plane. Ask whether the console, API, queue, and administrative database can operate entirely inside the required country, cloud region, or disconnected network.
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Models and inference
Autonomous products may use machine-learning models for planning, interpretation, or report generation. Determine where model weights are stored and where inference executes. “AI on premises” should mean that prompts, intermediate results, and model outputs do not cross the boundary, not merely that a local component communicates with a cloud model.
Credentials, targets, and telemetry
Inventory every item that could leave the environment: passwords, tokens, SSH keys, domain data, vulnerability details, target addresses, command output, packet captures, screenshots, and agent health telemetry. Require a field-level description of outbound data and a method to prove that optional diagnostics are disabled.
Evidence, logs, and retention
Exploit proof is often more sensitive than a vulnerability title. Establish where findings, attack paths, files, videos, logs, and raw artifacts persist; how long they remain; who can access them; and how deletion is verified. A locally stored report is not sufficient if raw evidence is copied to a cloud archive.
Support, updates, and licensing
Remote support can introduce an unplanned data path through screen sharing, temporary accounts, or diagnostic bundles. Updates and license checks can also fail in a full air gap. Define whether support is optional, what an audited support session records, whether updates can be signed and imported offline, and how an offline license is issued and renewed.
Use this boundary as the acceptance test for every product. “Runs on our host” is only one answer in a much longer chain.
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Candidate landscape at a glance
| Platform | Deployment and residency indication | Assessment category | Public price information | What procurement must verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero Hunt | Vendor presents a fully on-premises appliance with local models, local evidence and console, plus an air-gap mode. | Autonomous red-team and exploitation-led testing. | No public price located; vendor describes appliance, term, and scope licensing. | Whether the selected configuration truly keeps inference, telemetry, support, updates, and licensing inside the boundary. |
| Horizon3.ai NodeZero | Customer-hosted Docker host or OVA for internal tests; external tests are automated from the vendor cloud. AWS classifies the offer as SaaS. | Autonomous penetration testing. | AWS Marketplace packages listed below. | Cloud control-plane location, data flows, hosting region, and whether the required test can run without Internet access. |
| Picus Security | Vendor says its platform can be deployed on premises and, for specific use cases, in fully air-gapped networks. | Security validation and breach-and-attack simulation (BAS). | No public price located. | Whether control validation supplies the exploit-path proof, scope, and autonomy expected from a penetration test. |
| Pentera | A vendor-authored comparison says the core product can install on customer infrastructure, while other services use cloud features. | Automated security validation and penetration testing. | No comparable public price established. | Exact module, feature, and data-flow behavior; verify directly with the vendor. |
| Cymulate | A vendor-authored comparison describes it as SaaS-only. | BAS and control validation. | No comparable public price established. | Whether any private deployment or regional option exists for your contract and use case. |
| XM Cyber | A vendor-authored comparison describes SaaS by default with EU hosting. | Exposure management and attack-path analysis. | No comparable public price established. | EU hosting may not satisfy a narrower national boundary; obtain architecture and contractual commitments. |
| XBOW | A vendor-authored comparison describes SaaS for web applications and APIs. | Autonomous web and API testing. | No comparable public price established. | Application scope, hosting location, and whether evidence and model traffic remain in the permitted region. |
The entries for Pentera, Cymulate, XM Cyber, and XBOW come from a competing vendor’s guide and are leads for due diligence, not independent verification. Product architecture, hosting regions, and feature behavior can change.
Zero Hunt: the strongest on-premises candidate to investigate
Zero Hunt’s buyer materials describe an appliance in which the AI, console, and evidence storage run on premises, with an air-gap mode. That directly addresses the architecture a strict residency policy usually seeks: no cloud control plane and no mandatory Internet path.
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Those statements are vendor claims. Before approval, require a configuration-specific diagram that labels every process, port, destination, data type, and storage location. Confirm that the model used for planning and interpretation is local in the exact edition being purchased, rather than local orchestration that calls a hosted model for some tasks.
Questions specific to an appliance
- Does the appliance retain raw command output, screenshots, credentials, and exploit artifacts locally, and can retention be configured?
- Can administrators disable all telemetry and still receive health and licensing status?
- How are security fixes delivered to a disconnected appliance? Require signed packages, an integrity-verification process, and a documented rollback path.
- What happens when an offline license expires, and can renewal be completed without exporting assessment data?
- Can vendor support be performed through a customer-controlled jump host with session recording and no automatic data upload?
- Which testing modules require an Internet connection, a cloud service, or a vendor-operated relay?
No public price was located for Zero Hunt. Its cost guidance describes licensing around the appliance, subscription term, and assessment scope, so compare a written quote on those dimensions rather than assuming an unlimited appliance license.
Horizon3.ai NodeZero: a local launch host inside a cloud service
NodeZero’s documentation specifies a manually configured host for internal testing: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later or RHEL 9+, at least two CPU cores, 8 GB of RAM, 40 GB of free storage, network access, and Docker 20.10+ or Podman 4.0+. The documentation also requires a stable Internet connection.
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The product page distinguishes internal tests, which use a free Docker host or OVA, from external tests, which are automated from the vendor’s cloud. AWS Marketplace classifies the offer as SaaS. The practical description is therefore “customer-hosted launch host for a cloud-delivered service,” not “verified air-gapped platform.” A local host does not establish that orchestration, model inference, evidence, or telemetry stay in your network.
Published AWS Marketplace pricing
AWS Marketplace listings checked October 13, 2026 show the following 12-month package prices. Each annual package covers 500 assets; Flex is a one-time test allowance. Contract duration, asset definitions, and any additional AWS infrastructure charges can change the final cost.
| Package | Listed scope | Price | Term and qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | 500 assets | $25,000 | 12-month AWS Marketplace listing checked October 13, 2026 |
| Pro | 500 assets | $32,500 | 12-month AWS Marketplace listing checked October 13, 2026 |
| Elite | 500 assets | $42,500 | 12-month AWS Marketplace listing checked October 13, 2026 |
| Flex | One test of up to 1,000 assets | $15,000 | One-time AWS Marketplace listing checked October 13, 2026 |
Use these figures as published list prices, not a guaranteed quote. Confirm what counts as an asset, which features belong to each package, the contracted hosting region, and whether AWS infrastructure or data-transfer costs are separate.
Picus: an air-gapped neighbor, not automatically a pentest replacement
Picus states that its SaaS platform can also be deployed on premises and, for specific use cases, in fully air-gapped networks. That makes it relevant when the primary requirement is to validate defensive controls without sending data to a cloud service.
Its category is security validation and BAS. Such platforms typically replay or simulate known attack techniques and measure whether controls prevent or detect them. That can answer “Can our defenses stop this technique?” It does not automatically answer “Can an autonomous operator discover a path, exploit a weakness, obtain proof, and demonstrate impact?”
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- Ask for a representative workflow from reconnaissance through exploitation, not only a list of simulated techniques.
- Request sample evidence showing affected asset, executed action, gained access, and remediation proof.
- Map required scope—internal network, external perimeter, identity, cloud, web, and API—to the exact Picus modules.
- Confirm whether models, content updates, and control libraries can be imported and maintained offline.
- Define whether the engagement needs safe validation of controls, exploit-path discovery, or both.
Picus uses annual subscriptions and modules licensed according to validation use cases. Public prices were not found in the reviewed material, so require a quote that separates platform, modules, appliance or infrastructure, support, and air-gap-specific services.
How the alternatives differ on the outcome you need
| Decision axis | Questions to answer | Why it changes the choice |
|---|---|---|
| Complete data path | Where do control, models, prompts, credentials, telemetry, evidence, and backups run? | A local agent can still depend on a remote service. |
| Air-gap behavior | Can a job start, execute, report, update, and renew licensing with every external route blocked? | Many products support “offline” operation only for a subset of features. |
| Assessment scope | Does it cover internal network, perimeter, identity, cloud, web, API, or control simulation? | A platform may be excellent for one boundary and irrelevant to another. |
| Exploitation proof | Does the product safely demonstrate access and impact, or only replay a known action? | BAS results should not be treated as end-to-end penetration evidence without proof. |
| Autonomy and safety | Which actions require approval? Are there stop controls, rate limits, allowlists, and maintenance windows? | Autonomous execution must be bounded to avoid outages or unauthorized impact. |
| Prerequisites | What host operating system, CPU, memory, storage, network routes, proxies, and privileges are required? | Requirements determine whether a disconnected deployment is practical. |
| Support and deletion | Can support operate without data export, and can you obtain deletion evidence? | Support channels often create a second, overlooked data path. |
| Total cost | What are appliance, subscription, asset, module, support, infrastructure, and contract costs? | List price alone does not represent the residency-compliant deployment. |
A practical air-gap acceptance test
Do not accept a slide deck that says “air-gapped.” Run a controlled proof with the exact SKU and configuration proposed for production.
- Freeze the boundary. Document permitted networks, regions, administrators, jump hosts, DNS behavior, proxy rules, and whether one-way media transfer is allowed.
- Block all egress. Use firewall rules and an isolated test segment to deny Internet, vendor relays, public DNS, cloud object storage, and unapproved management paths.
- Install from approved media. Record hashes for the appliance image, model packages, content updates, and license files. Verify signatures before installation.
- Run a representative assessment. Include the internal, identity, cloud, web, or API targets that matter to your program. Capture network flows, process activity, and file writes while it runs.
- Inspect the evidence path. Confirm that findings, raw artifacts, credentials, logs, and backups are stored only in approved locations. Test exports and integrations separately.
- Exercise safety controls. Confirm allowlists, rate limits, approval gates, stop buttons, maintenance windows, and recovery behavior when a target becomes unstable.
- Test failure modes. Interrupt DNS, time synchronization, update services, license services, and the management console. Record which functions stop and whether the product fails safely.
- Test support without disclosure. Use a simulated support request and verify that no diagnostic bundle leaves the boundary unless an administrator explicitly authorizes it.
- Prove deletion. Delete a test engagement, revoke a user, and remove a temporary credential. Obtain logs or an auditable record showing what was deleted and what retention remains.
- Repeat after an update. An initially compliant build can gain a new cloud dependency. Re-run the egress and evidence checks after every major version or model update.
Procurement questions to put in writing
Send the same questionnaire to every finalist so “on premises” means the same thing in every response.
- Where does the control plane run, and can it be operated entirely inside our required jurisdiction?
- Where are model weights stored, and where is inference executed for every advertised feature?
- What data and credentials leave our environment under normal operation, error handling, analytics, and support?
- Where do findings, logs, screenshots, command output, exploit artifacts, and backups persist?
- Are telemetry and remote support optional? How are sessions approved, recorded, and audited?
- What breaks when all external connections are blocked, including updates, time checks, content synchronization, and license validation?
- Can you provide signed offline updates, an import procedure, rollback instructions, and deletion evidence?
- Which exact SKU, modules, and deployment model support our region and required scope?
- Is the tested scope equivalent to alternatives under consideration, or are asset, identity, web, API, and cloud definitions different?
- What contractual commitments cover hosting location, subprocessors, retention, breach notification, support access, and end-of-term deletion?
Cost and infrastructure planning
Build a total-cost model before comparing quotes. Include the appliance or customer-supplied host, operating-system hardening, isolated network segments, storage for evidence, backup, support, annual subscription, asset or test limits, optional modules, and offline update services.
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A buyer-supplied Linux server may be needed for a customer-hosted launch host, but purchasing hardware does not make a cloud control plane compliant. Size hardware from the vendor’s documented requirements and your evidence-retention period, not from a generic server recommendation.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
Mistaking a local agent for local processing
Symptom: the vendor points to a Docker container or virtual appliance as proof of residency. Correction: trace control, model, evidence, telemetry, and support flows and require packet-level evidence from a blocked-egress test.
Assuming regional hosting equals national residency
Symptom: a vendor offers an EU region when policy requires a particular country. Correction: specify the permitted geography, subprocessors, backup locations, and support personnel in the contract.
Calling BAS results penetration-test proof
Symptom: a simulated technique is reported as an exploited vulnerability. Correction: require evidence of discovery, access, path, impact, and safe cleanup, or label the result explicitly as control validation.
Ignoring updates and license checks
Symptom: the initial demonstration works offline but the product stops after a subscription renewal or content update. Correction: rehearse offline renewal, signed media import, rollback, and expiration behavior before contract signature.
Leaving support outside the threat model
Symptom: a support engineer requests logs or temporary access without a documented process. Correction: require customer approval, session recording, least privilege, export review, and deletion confirmation.
Decision framework
Choose an on-premises appliance path when
- Your policy prohibits any external control plane or model inference.
- You can operate dedicated hardware, offline update procedures, and local evidence storage.
- You need exploitation-led testing and can validate safety controls in your own environment.
Choose a cloud-delivered service only when
- Your policy permits the vendor’s contracted hosting regions and subprocessors.
- You have documented approval for outbound target data, telemetry, and support access.
- The service’s Internet dependency is compatible with the required test windows.
Choose BAS or security validation when
- The primary objective is repeatable measurement of prevention and detection controls.
- You can define the difference between simulated technique coverage and exploit-path proof.
- Air-gapped content and update operations are supported for the exact modules you need.
For many organizations, the answer is a combination: an autonomous exploitation assessment for periodic proof of impact, plus an air-gapped validation capability for continuous control measurement. Treat them as complementary only after each product’s data path and outcome are documented.
Bottom line for a residency-sensitive shortlist
Start with the boundary, not the product label. Zero Hunt is the candidate whose published positioning most directly addresses local AI, local evidence, and air-gap operation, but those are vendor claims that require configuration-level testing and contractual commitments. NodeZero offers documented host requirements and transparent AWS Marketplace pricing, yet its cloud control plane and Internet dependency make it unsuitable to describe as an air-gapped alternative without a materially different deployment. Picus may satisfy a strict boundary for security validation, but buyers must prove that its BAS outcome matches the exploit-led evidence their penetration-testing program requires. The finalists that survive should be the ones that can demonstrate every data path, offline behavior, support process, and deletion result—not merely place an agent inside your network.
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