Architecture Deconstruction
Comparing true physical air-gaps with standard cloud API proxies and pseudo-private architectures.
Select Target Platform
OpenAI API / Cloud Endpoints
ChatGPT Enterprise: ~$60/user/month, 150-seat minimum, annual contract only — a ~$108,000/year floor before any usage. No published self-service price; every deal is sales-negotiated.
Complete dependency on third-party security, subject to subpoena, data interception, and outages.
Cloud AI operates as a pipe. Every token typed is processed, stored, and audited by cloud providers. For entities bound by strict compliance (PIPL, GDPR, HIPAA, defense directives), sending sensitive database contents to a public API endpoint represents a critical security breach.
Cost Reality Check
Approximate monthly spend for a ~25-person deployment — the scale Vault-PRO targets. Figures checked July 2026; see each platform's own report above for sourcing notes.
25 users included, flat
200 users included, flat
$60/user × 150-seat minimum, annual lock-in
Est. 1 GPU node, continuous rental
No published price — 3-yr commitment, custom quote only
Platform Comparison Matrix
| Architectural Spec | Vault-OS | Public Cloud (OpenAI) | Private Cloud (AWS Outposts) | Local Wrapper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| True Air-Gap Deployment | ||||
| TPM 2.0 Silicon Tethering | ||||
| ECDSA Offline License Verify | ||||
| Failsafe Self-Termination Trigger | ||||
| Decentralized Database Sync | ||||
| Outbound Network Egress Risk | 0% | 100% | Medium | 0% |
Architecture Deconstruction Teardown: Vault-OS vs. Cloud & Local Competitors
Detailed technical deconstruction of IronGap's Vault-OS platform compared to public cloud APIs (OpenAI), hybrid private clouds (AWS Outposts), confidential cloud computing enclaves (Azure Enclaves), and standard open-source local CLI wrappers (Ollama / Llama.cpp). The "IronGap Architecture Risk Score" below is our own internal assessment, weighted toward network egress, telemetry, and hardware-level tamper resistance — not a third-party audit or certification. On cost, for a comparable ~25-person deployment: Vault-PRO runs $499/month flat, versus ChatGPT Enterprise's ~$60/user/month with a mandatory 150-seat minimum (a ~$108,000/year floor before any usage), Azure Confidential VMs running into the thousands per month per node kept online, and AWS Outposts GPU racks requiring a 3-year commitment before AWS will even quote a price.
1. OpenAI API / Cloud Endpoints
- Architecture Type: Public Cloud SaaS
- IronGap Architecture Risk Score: 12 / 100
- Network Egress: 100% Constant Outbound Stream
- Telemetry Level: Full (Queries, metadata, API keys logged)
- Licensing: API token subscription model
- Critical Weakness: Complete dependency on third-party security, subject to subpoena, data interception, cloud vendor leakage, and network outages.
- Technical Report Summary: Cloud AI operates as a pipe. Every token typed is processed, stored, and audited by cloud providers. For entities bound by strict compliance (PIPL, GDPR, HIPAA, defense directives), sending sensitive database contents to a public API endpoint represents a critical security breach.
2. AWS Outposts / Hybrid Private Cloud
- Architecture Type: Hybrid Private Cloud Rack
- IronGap Architecture Risk Score: 45 / 100
- Network Egress: Required for sync & control plane connection
- Telemetry Level: Heartbeats and infrastructure logging backhauls
- Licensing: Virtual instances subscription
- Critical Weakness: Not truly air-gapped. If disconnected from the AWS control region for over 48 hours, nodes enter a locked state.
- Technical Report Summary: AWS Outposts brings AWS hardware inside your walls, but the control plane remains in the public cloud. The system mandates constant VPN backhauls. If network pipes are physically severed (true air-gaps), the AWS hypervisor refuses to boot local instances.
3. Azure Enclaves (Confidential Computing)
- Architecture Type: Intel SGX / AMD SEV Secure Enclave VM
- IronGap Architecture Risk Score: 60 / 100
- Network Egress: Periodic (Key management & attestations)
- Telemetry Level: Platform performance heartbeats
- Licensing: Node hourly rental
- Critical Weakness: Complex attestation procedures. Requires public internet to talk to Azure Key Vault.
- Technical Report Summary: While hardware memory encryption is valuable, Azure Confidential VMs still execute within a vendor-managed environment. System operators must verify attestations against Azure Attestation Services over the internet, exposing execution patterns.
4. Standard Local Wrappers (Ollama / Llama.cpp)
- Architecture Type: Open-Source CLI Helpers
- IronGap Architecture Risk Score: 55 / 100
- Network Egress: None (unless configured)
- Telemetry Level: None (local script)
- Licensing: None (Open-source / MIT)
- Critical Weakness: Zero hardware security. Model weights are stored in plain files, trivial to copy, clone, or leak internally.
- Technical Report Summary: Using standard Llama.cpp CLI wraps operates offline, but lacks enterprise-grade controls. There is no protection preventing an internal developer from copying model weights to a USB drive. There is no cryptographic audit logging, no hardware TPM sealing, and no network firewall enforcement.
5. IronGap Vault-OS (The Standard)
- Architecture Type: True Local Air-Gapped Secure AI Enclave
- IronGap Architecture Risk Score: 100 / 100
- Network Egress: 0% (Absolute Physical Isolation)
- Telemetry Level: Zero (No tracking, no external calls, 100% offline)
- Licensing: Hardware-tethered subscription license
- Technical Advantages: TPM 2.0 Silicon Attestation Binding, Local Vector Database (pgvector), Offline ECDSA License Verification, NIST SP 800-88 Compliant Self-Destruct Silicon Overwrite.