Staff at government agencies and defense contractors are already using AI tools with sensitive data. Cognetryx runs entirely inside your network — CUI stays put, every interaction is logged, and the CMMC or FISMA conversation has a cleaner answer from the start.
For regulated institutions, every AI governance question traces back to one decision: where does the AI run. On-premises deployment settles it before it starts.
The knowledge problem in audit preparation is not confidentiality — it is retrieval. The information exists. Finding it fast enough is the challenge.
Compliance officers have heard every AI pitch. Here is the framing that changes the conversation from a feature list to an architectural decision.
Cloud AI in a government or defense environment means sending sensitive data to servers your organization does not control, run by companies subject to legal demands you cannot predict. Most procurement efforts stall at the security review. The ones that do not stall often create compliance findings later.
The CMMC Final Rule (32 CFR Part 170), effective December 2024, requires Level 2 certified contractors to implement all 110 security practices from NIST SP 800-171 Rev 3. Any AI tool that sends Controlled Unclassified Information to external servers introduces new scope you must document and certify against. Most commercial AI tools have not cleared that bar.
The Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (18 U.S.C. § 2523) allows U.S. authorities to compel major cloud providers to produce data stored on servers anywhere in the world. For agencies and contractors handling sensitive government information, that exposure is a documented vulnerability — not a hypothetical one.
The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 CFR Parts 120–130) prohibit the export of defense technical information to foreign nationals or systems. Major cloud AI providers route queries through globally distributed server infrastructure. If your project touches export-controlled technical data, the routing question is not abstract.
Most agencies and contractors know they cannot put sensitive government data into a public AI tool. What they have not found is a viable alternative. Cognetryx is that alternative: AI that runs entirely inside your network perimeter, grounded in your own documents, with no data ever touching a cloud processor. Read how on-premises AI deployment works in practice →
Cognetryx deploys entirely inside your organization's network. CUI does not leave. Every interaction is logged. Every output traces back to your own documents, policies, or technical specifications. The security story is built into the architecture, not assembled at the last minute before an assessment.
No third-party data processing. No cloud routing questions. The AI runs inside your existing infrastructure, so your CUI handling footprint does not expand beyond what your current security controls already cover.
User identity, timestamp, source document referenced, and output generated are logged for every query. Your security and compliance teams own that log and can produce it for a CMMC assessment, IG audit, or FISMA review.
FedRAMP authorization is required for cloud services used by federal agencies. Cognetryx deploys as internal infrastructure, not a cloud service — it does not introduce a FedRAMP authorization requirement into your existing system boundary.
Contracts, SOWs, policy documents, technical specifications, and compliance manuals are indexed. The AI answers from your controlled documents, not the open internet. Every answer cites source material your team already owns and controls.
Role-based access controls are inherited from your existing identity and access management system. Need-to-know stays enforced at the AI layer. No parallel access system to document, certify, or explain to an assessor.
When staff cannot access good AI tools, they find bad ones. Cognetryx beats consumer AI on your own policy and contract questions because it knows your documents — and because it is the sanctioned option that does not create a security incident report.
Most government and defense organizations see fastest value when AI handles work that is already documented, already governed, and already repetitive. Cognetryx is designed to operationalize existing institutional knowledge, not replace expert judgment.
Staff query contract terms, SOW requirements, agency directives, or FAR/DFARS clauses without pulling a contracting officer into every routine question. Answers cite the governing document directly.
Prepare System Security Plan sections, CMMC assessment artifacts, and POA&M updates from your existing documentation. Staff spend less time hunting for evidence and more time organizing it.
Summarize requirements documents, identify compliance obligations across solicitations, and draft proposal sections grounded in past performance documentation — all without sending content to an external processor.
New staff get consistent, program-specific answers to questions about procedures, regulations, and requirements. Onboarding accelerates and interpretive variance across a team or program office falls.
Assemble control evidence, draft POA&M updates, and organize assessment documentation from internal records. When assessors arrive, your team is not building the package from scratch.
Review deliverables against statement of work requirements, flag gaps, and generate first-draft responses to government technical inquiries. Humans review and approve. The AI shortens the drafting cycle.
Federal and defense compliance frameworks are converging on the same questions about AI governance and data handling. Here is how Cognetryx directly addresses each framework without bolt-on tooling.
Cognetryx is led by a CISSP-certified founder with nearly 20 years of experience building secure infrastructure for regulated industries. We have built secure systems for environments where data leaving the network is not a compliance preference — it is a disqualifying event.
Our engagement model is white-glove from the start: technical architecture reviews, security team briefings, staff training, program manager walkthroughs, and 30 days of hands-on support at go-live. The goal is a deployment your security team already trusts and your program staff actually uses.
"Government and defense work has a simple test: if the data left the building, the conversation is over. We designed Cognetryx so that conversation never has to happen."
Keith has advised regulated enterprises on HIPAA, GDPR, FISMA, and secure infrastructure design for nearly two decades. He leads every Cognetryx deployment personally through the security architecture review.
No. Cognetryx deploys entirely inside your organization's network. CUI does not leave your perimeter to reach the AI. This means the AI deployment does not expand your CUI handling footprint beyond what your existing CMMC Level 2 certification already covers. The system runs on your hardware, is managed by your team, and is governed by your existing security controls.
Cognetryx deploys as internal infrastructure, not as a cloud service. Federal agencies and contractors using Cognetryx are not deploying a cloud service into their environment — they are running self-hosted AI inside their own authorization boundary. The FedRAMP question applies to cloud services accessed over the internet; it does not apply in the same way to on-premises deployments managed inside the agency's or contractor's own network. Read more about how our deployment model works →
ITAR (22 CFR Parts 120–130) prohibits the export of defense technical information to foreign nationals or foreign-operated systems. Because Cognetryx runs inside your network on your hardware, queries containing export-controlled technical data never leave your controlled environment. There is no external routing, no cloud API, and no foreign server in the data path.
CMMC Level 2 requires implementation of all 110 NIST SP 800-171 security practices. An AI tool that routes data to an external cloud provider introduces new scope that may require additional controls documentation. Cognetryx runs inside your existing boundary, so you are not adding new external scope. The relevant 800-171 controls — access control, audit and accountability, configuration management, and system and communications protection — apply to the on-premises deployment through your existing security program. See how compliance teams frame the AI governance conversation →
Cognetryx is designed for network isolation and has been deployed in environments with strict data controls. Air-gapped and network-isolated deployments are supported. Contact us to discuss the specific network architecture for your environment, including any program security review or facility security officer involvement required.
Most deployments reach pilot stage in 6 to 10 weeks, with full production in 90 days. For programs with complex security approval requirements — ATOs, program security reviews, or FSO involvement — we work alongside your security team through that process concurrently with deployment preparation. Timeline depends on infrastructure readiness and the scope of documentation to be integrated.
Book a complimentary, no-commitment AI Strategy Assessment with Keith Kennedy, CISSP. We will walk your security and program teams through the deployment architecture, the CUI handling posture, and exactly what the CMMC or FISMA story looks like — before you commit to anything. Read more on exam and audit readiness →
