The Five Laws of Cogent: Product Principles for Security Teams That Expect More

Most security tools force you to choose between capability and usability. They’re either powerful but hard to operate, or simple but incomplete. At Cogent, we believe that’s a false tradeoff, and we’re proving it with a new kind of product, designed from first principles to actually solve vulnerability management end-to-end.

We’re not guessing what modern security teams need. At Abnormal AI, we built advanced detection systems used by thousands of enterprises. We saw how clunky tools, manual processes, and poor collaboration held teams back. We also saw how intuitive, well-designed products accelerate adoption, improve outcomes, and make security a business enabler.

These experiences shaped the five core principles guiding everything we build at Cogent:

1. Simplicity

Cogent is designed to be easy to understand and operate. Security leaders don’t have time for complexity, and engineers shouldn't require a steep learning curve to use a product. From the UI to workflow automation, everything is built for clarity, so teams can quickly see top risks, the work that is getting done, and top-level metrics with a certification-free, consumer-grade experience.

2. Completeness

Security teams shouldn't have to glue together multiple tools to manage vulnerabilities. Cogent is built to cover the entire vulnerability lifecycle between scan and patch across broad areas of your attack surface. No stitching together partial solutions or maintaining custom scripts. Just one system that works out of the box.

3. Autonomy

Cogent's AI agents don't just make suggestions, they take action. They apply fixes, engage the right teams, and do so with full awareness of business constraints like uptime or ownership. Security teams get leverage without needing to micromanage every individual workflow.

4. Self-Serve

Cogent is designed to be usable without relying on support or services. Most configurations and integrations can be done directly by users. If something isn’t self-serve, we fix it in the product to ensure a smooth, transparent experience.

5. Product-First

When customers run into friction, we don't write an Ops playbook, we ship product. Every pain point is treated as a roadmap opportunity, not a support ticket. That mindset helped us build a category leading solution at Abnormal, and it’s how we’re building Cogent: through fast iteration, customer feedback, and constant improvement.

Why It Matters for Security Leaders

Security teams are under constant pressure to do more with less. They need to reduce risk, cut noise, and avoid burn out across both their team and cross-functional partners.

Cogent was built to give you leverage. Our foundational product principles ensure that the product drives results with minimal overhead, fewer surprises, and better alignment with how your organization actually works.

If you want to learn more, check out our product, technology, or see the platform in action.