Skip to content

Private AI

Run AI models in your own environment.

I help you choose and deploy models in your cloud account or on your hardware. The work includes checking what the model can do, how documents are processed, and which services need access to your data.

The starting point

What needs to stay inside?

Client files, internal documents, source code, and operational records can make an AI workflow useful. They also raise a practical question: which systems are allowed to process them?

“Private” can mean several things. Your team may need private network access to an approved provider, inference within your own cloud account, or an environment that runs without external connectivity. Defining that requirement comes before choosing a model or buying hardware.

A good first project pairs a defined data boundary with a useful workflow: a document assistant, a reviewed extraction process, or internal support search. The model is one part of that system.

Deployment choices

Compare deployment options

Managed AI with private connectivity

A managed service reached over a private network path. Useful when approved provider processing is acceptable and avoiding public network exposure is the requirement.

Private transport does not mean inference runs in your own account.

Models in your cloud or on your hardware

Host model serving and the application in an environment you control. Keep retrieval and supporting services within the agreed boundary.

External dependencies, administrator access, and maintenance still need an explicit design.

Zero-egress or disconnected deployment

Deny external outbound paths from the defined runtime, or use a fully disconnected environment when the requirement calls for it.

Preparation, updates, observability, and support must work within that constraint.

Compare privacy, retention, and network isolation ↗

Zero-egress deployment

Zero-egress LLM deployment.

Keep inference and its dependencies inside a defined boundary, with external outbound traffic denied. The design includes retrieval, logging, model updates, and agent tools—not just the model server.

  • Define the boundaryWhich workloads, data, and connections are in scope?
  • Plan updates and monitoringStage dependencies and plan local monitoring and updates.
  • Verify the behaviorExercise the workload and test prohibited outbound paths.

What an engagement can include

What I can help with

Each deliverable is scoped to your environment, use case, and operating team.

  • Architecture and data flows Define permitted processing, identities, dependencies, deployment options, and network boundaries.
  • Model and workload evaluation Compare quality, response time, concurrency, and cost on representative tasks.
  • Private retrieval and integrations Connect documents and business systems with appropriate permissions and source references.
  • Implementation and verification Build the agreed environment and document tests, known limitations, and configuration.
  • Handover and operations Prepare deployment procedures, monitoring, update and recovery plans, and clear support responsibilities.

Common questions

Questions about private AI

Does private AI have to run on-premises?

No. A customer-controlled cloud environment may fit the requirement. The decision depends on the approved data boundary, who can administer the infrastructure, availability needs, and operating capacity.

Is zero retention the same as zero egress?

No. Retention describes what happens to data after processing. Egress describes where data travels. A provider can process a prompt outside your environment without retaining it afterward.

Can a small business use private AI?

Potentially. Start with the workflow and the reason for private deployment. Hardware and support costs need to make sense for the expected benefit; a managed service may be sufficient for some requirements.

Does running locally make a system compliant?

Hosting location is one design decision. Compliance depends on the full system, its use, contracts, access controls, and organizational obligations. The engagement can provide engineering evidence for your reviewers to assess.

Can I keep my existing applications?

Often, but the integration must be evaluated. API compatibility can simplify a connection; authentication, streaming, tool calls, and behavior still need testing with the chosen model.

How is this scoped?

We start with the use case, the data boundary, a representative workload, and who will operate the result. An assessment or focused pilot can establish the scope before a production build.

Further reading

Private AI guides

All guides ↗

Start a conversation

Discuss your private AI requirements.

Tell me what the system needs to do and where the data is allowed to go. We can discuss the hosting options and what would need testing.