Architecture
How Vault-OS keeps your data in your hands.
Vault-OS runs entirely on hardware you own. This page explains the principles behind it and how the parts fit together.
Air-gapped
All processing happens on your machine. Vault-OS makes no outbound connections and sends no telemetry.
Zero trust
Every request is checked against the user’s current role and status, not only at sign-in.
Fail closed
If anything required for a secure start is missing, Vault-OS does not start.
Hardware-bound
The licence is tied to your machine’s TPM 2.0 chip and verified offline.
How it fits together.
Three parts, all inside your network.
- 01
Vault-OS Client
The app your team uses on laptops and phones. It finds Vault-OS on your network and verifies the machine before connecting.
- 02
Vault-OS server
Runs on one machine you own. It enforces access rules, runs search and workflows, and records every privileged action.
- 03
Encrypted enclave
Documents, conversations and the AI index, stored in an encrypted volume that only your master password unlocks.
Data protection.
Encrypted at rest
Documents and conversations are encrypted with AES-256 inside an enclave protected by your own master password.
Zero knowledge
IronGap holds no copy of your password and no key to your data. No one can access it without you.
Tamper-evident audit
Privileged actions are recorded in a signed, chained ledger, so any alteration is detectable.
Encrypted backups
Backups are encrypted with a separate recovery key that never leaves the machine.
Access control
People see only what their role allows, across 9 clearance levels and per-department folders. Sign-in requires a second factor, each account has one active session, and deactivating a user takes effect immediately.
Documents and AI
Documents, scans and voice notes are processed on the machine and stored encrypted. Answers come from your own documents, with sources, generated by local engines including VEYMEER. The installer includes Vault-OS, its database, the inference engines and Vault-OS Client. It does not include AI models, so you stay in control of which ones run.
Operations
Updates are signed and applied offline from physical media. Chat history is cleared on a retention schedule, and an authorised burn switch can erase all data and keys following NIST SP 800-88.
Erasure is permanent by design.
Need the technical detail?
Detailed security and implementation documentation is shared with pilot customers under a non-disclosure agreement, so your security team can review it in full before deployment.