First developed as part of our LinkedIn content series, June 2026. Expanded and updated for this site.

On-Prem and Air-Gap Deployment: Your Data Never Leaves Your Network

In March 2024, a classified satellite communications program lost six months of compliance work when their SaaS GRC vendor pushed a routine update that sent telemetry to an endpoint outside the authorization boundary. The ATO was suspended the same day. For programs operating at Impact Level 5 or under ITAR restrictions, connectivity is not a design preference --- it is a federal offense waiting to happen.

Why Now: The Post-Quantum Migration Clock Is Running

Executive Order 14409, signed June 22, 2026, requires federal agencies to inventory cryptographic assets and begin migration to post-quantum algorithms (FIPS 203, 204, 205). For classified and ITAR-restricted programs, that inventory must happen entirely within the enclave --- no scanning telemetry leaving the boundary, no cloud-based crypto discovery tools phoning home. CISA BOD 26-04 (issued June 10, 2026) adds risk-based patching timelines that air-gapped environments must meet without NVD connectivity. The 32 CFR Part 170 CMMC program rule (effective December 16, 2024) means every defense industrial base contractor handling CUI must prove their tooling respects the boundary --- not just their data.

Air-gap is not a security posture --- it is a deployment constraint that still requires the full security stack. The mistake organizations make is treating air-gap as inherently secure, then running a stripped-down compliance tool that cannot actually assess their environment. You need the same 500+ frameworks, the same ~350,000+ scanner plugins, the same evidence generation, the same AI-assisted analysis --- all running on hardware you control with zero external connectivity.

Deployment Profiles

Advisedly supports three deployment profiles. Every feature that works in SaaS works identically in the air-gapped deployment.

SaaS Cloud

Multi-tenant cloud deployment on Azure infrastructure. Managed by Advisedly. Suitable for organizations without data residency restrictions or classified data handling requirements.

On-Premises (Docker / Kubernetes)

Single-tenant deployment on customer-managed infrastructure:

Docker Compose --- all services (API, platform frontend, PostgreSQL, background job workers) on a single host or small cluster. Suitable for evaluation or smaller deployments.
Kubernetes via Helm Charts --- production on-premises with service scaling, secret management, and health monitoring across a cluster.

Both options bundle all dependencies. PostgreSQL runs containerized within the deployment. No external database service required.

Fully Air-Gapped

Zero external network connectivity. The deployment package includes every binary, every dependency, every data file, and every AI model required to operate. Nothing phones home. Nothing checks for updates. Nothing sends telemetry.

Capability	SaaS	On-Prem	Air-Gapped
Telemetry	On	Off	Off
NVD mirror mode	Live API	Configurable	Offline (bundled)
Plugin catalog	Remote	Configurable	Local (bundled)
AI inference	Cloud providers	Cloud or vLLM	On-prem vLLM only
eMASS integration	N/A	Enabled	Enabled
STIG automation	Enabled	Enabled	Enabled

What Runs Without Internet

Everything. This is an architectural constraint, not a marketing claim.

All 500+ compliance frameworks. NIST 800-53 r5, NIST 800-171, CMMC L1/L2/L3, FedRAMP baselines, ISO 27001/27002, PCI DSS v4, HIPAA, SOC 2, ITAR, DFARS, plus hundreds of international and sector-specific standards. Cross-framework crosswalk maps controls locally.

Vulnerability scanning (~350,000+ plugins). Bundled for offline use. Plugin updates delivered through periodic media transfer. Scanner operates against local network assets via SSH, WinRM, and agent-based collection.

TRACE Score engine. All five components (Threat, Reachability, Asset criticality, Compliance impact, Exploit maturity) run locally. Signal sources (EPSS snapshots, KEV catalog, exploit database entries) included in the deployment package.

Auditor packet generator. All 15 sections generated from local data stores. No external queries.

STIG automation. DISA STIG benchmark import, assessment execution, findings tracking, posture scorecards, and CKL/XCCDF export. Check execution reaches targets via SSH/WinRM within the enclave.

Pipeline engine. CI/CD with compliance evidence generation, SLSA provenance attestation (Ed25519 signing with locally-held keys), VEX generation, and WORM audit chains. Runner binary included in the deployment package.

SIEM, EDR, incident response, training, change management, and asset inventory --- all operate on locally collected data with no external dependencies.

AI Inference: On-Prem Models, Zero Cloud Dependency

The platform's AI layer uses a vendor-neutral facade with an 11-provider BYOAI catalog (registered identities; air-gap availability is the local adapter only — internet-connected providers are unavailable). For air-gapped deployments, the adapter routes to an on-premises inference server (vLLM or compatible) running customer-configured or customer-hosted models under the applicable governance and provider policy within the enclave. That is a supported provider path; exact models still require future Expert Pack admission/compatibility qualification (none currently qualified).

What this means:

AI-assisted control narrative generation runs against a local model. No data sent externally.
Vulnerability analysis and correlation use local inference.
AI governance --- provenance tracking, acceptance gates, agent registry, kill-switch enforcement, cryptographic receipts --- operates identically across all profiles.

The platform does not fall back to cloud providers when the local server is unavailable. It fails closed. This is correct behavior for a classified environment and directly addresses the Army CIO requirement that government data never leaves the enclave for AI processing.

Update Mechanism: Periodic Media Transfer

Air-gapped deployments receive updates through signed packages delivered via approved media transfer.

Package contents: Application container images, migration files (idempotent), framework updates, scanner plugin updates, signal data refreshes (EPSS, KEV, exploit DB), and AI model updates when applicable.

Cryptographic verification: Every package is signed. Verification against a known public key occurs before installation. Failed verification means rejected package --- no partial application, no override.

Installation process: Transfer via approved media, verify signature, apply migrations, update containers, restart services, verify health checks. Designed for operators who may not be software engineers. Rollback on failure is automatic.

The 30-Day Trial Tarball

For DoD design partners evaluating the platform: a self-contained tarball that runs the full platform for 30 days on isolated infrastructure. Includes all application containers, PostgreSQL, curated frameworks (NIST 800-53 r5, 800-171, CMMC L2, FedRAMP Moderate), sample scanner plugins, local AI inference configuration, and documentation.

Runs on a single machine with Docker Compose. No internet required. Not a demo mode --- architecturally identical to production air-gapped deployment.

Compliance Alignment

DoD Impact Levels 4/5. No data egress by architectural constraint, not policy. No network path to external services exists.

ITAR / EAR. Technical data processed by the platform remains within the United States, on infrastructure controlled by US persons, with no path to external processing.

CMMC L2 / L3. Eliminates external data flows. Built-in CMMC practice mapping, SPRS score calculation, and POA&M management all operate locally.

FedRAMP High. Satisfies baseline requirements when deployed on authorized infrastructure. All 410 High baseline controls have implementation guidance for on-premises deployments.

eMASS Integration (On-Prem)

For DoD customers, the on-premises deployment includes bidirectional eMASS integration. Pushes POA&M entries, scan results, hardware/software baselines, artifacts, milestones, and test results. Pulls system information and control status back. Uses CAC/PIV authentication and supports the RMF workflow lifecycle.

Advisedly augments eMASS --- it does not replace it. eMASS remains the system of record for DoD authorizations. The platform automates data preparation, evidence assembly, and synchronization that operators currently perform manually.

Key Takeaways

Air-gap is a deployment constraint, not a security posture --- you still need the full compliance and scanning stack running inside the boundary
All 500+ frameworks, ~350,000+ scanner plugins, 15-section auditor packets, TRACE Score, and AI inference run identically across SaaS, on-prem, and air-gapped profiles
NSA CNSA 2.0 PQC migration timelines and BOD 26-04 patching mandates apply inside air-gapped enclaves --- offline tooling must keep pace
BYOAI with local vLLM is a supported air-gap provider path (not Expert Pack qualification) so government data never leaves the enclave for AI processing
Cryptographically signed update packages with automatic rollback eliminate supply-chain risk in the media transfer channel

Frequently Asked Questions

How do scanner plugins stay current in an air-gapped environment?

Plugin updates are delivered through the same signed media transfer mechanism as application updates. Each package includes delta plugin bundles. Organizations on quarterly update cycles typically receive thousands of new or updated plugins per transfer. The scanner validates plugin integrity against package signatures before loading.

What happens if the local AI inference server goes down?

The platform fails closed. AI-assisted features (narrative generation, correlation) become unavailable until the inference server recovers. No fallback to external providers exists by design. Core compliance operations --- scanning, scoring, evidence generation, auditor packets --- continue without AI assistance.

Can we run multiple air-gapped instances across different classification levels?

Yes. Each deployment is fully independent. Organizations commonly run separate instances for CUI (IL4/5) and unclassified environments. No cross-instance communication exists or is possible. Each instance maintains its own keys, its own data, and its own update cadence.

What is the minimum hardware requirement for the air-gapped deployment?

Docker Compose (evaluation): 8 CPU cores, 32 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD. Kubernetes (production): 3-node cluster minimum, 16 cores and 64 GB per node recommended. AI inference adds GPU requirements depending on model size --- a 7B parameter model runs on a single A100 or equivalent.

How does the 30-day trial convert to a production deployment?

The trial tarball uses the same container images and configuration as production. Conversion involves updating the license key, scaling infrastructure to production sizing, configuring BYOK encryption, and establishing the media transfer cadence. Data created during the trial persists through conversion.

How Advisedly Helps

Advisedly delivers the complete platform --- 500+ frameworks, ~350,000+ scanner plugins, TRACE Score prioritization, 15-section auditor packets, STIG automation, pipeline engine, and an 11-provider BYOAI catalog (air-gap availability is the local adapter only; internet-connected providers are unavailable) --- on hardware you control with zero external connectivity, satisfying IL4/5, ITAR, and CNSA 2.0 post-quantum requirements by architectural constraint rather than policy exception. begin@advisedly.ai