Architecture & Trust
Your data stays
Your data stays
where it belongs.
ZAP is built on a single architectural principle: your infrastructure data, compliance findings and security posture never leave your environment. Not by policy. By architecture.
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Architecture principles
Four properties that
Four properties that
cannot be broken.
Self-hosted
ZAP runs entirely within your cloud subscription — Azure, AWS or GCP. There is no Zentej-hosted component, no data relay and no external API dependency for governance operations. Your infrastructure data, compliance findings, ZAP AI queries and evidence packs are processed and stored entirely within your tenancy.
All scan results — stored in your tenancy
All compliance findings — stored in your tenancy
ZAP AI queries and responses — processed in your tenancy
Evidence packs — generated and stored in your tenancy
Audit logs — stored in your tenancy
Zero data egress
ZAP does not send telemetry, usage data, infrastructure metadata or security findings to Zentej. There are no data sharing agreements, no product analytics and no third-party data processors for your ZAP instance. Data cannot leave your tenancy through ZAP.
No telemetry sent to Zentej
No infrastructure metadata shared
No compliance findings transmitted externally
No ZAP AI queries logged outside your tenancy
No usage analytics collected
Zero Zentej access
Zentej has zero access to your ZAP instance. Not limited access. Not audited access. Not access upon request. Zero. There is no administrative backdoor, no support access channel and no remote connection capability built into ZAP.
No Zentej administrative access
No remote support connection capability
No built-in backdoor or privileged access
Updates delivered via signed packages — not remote connection
Zentej cannot read, modify or export your data
Air-gap compatible
ZAP supports fully air-gapped deployment with no internet connectivity requirements. Compliance framework updates delivered via secure offline packages. ZAP AI using locally deployed model. Full governance capability in network-isolated environments.
No internet connectivity required for operation
Offline compliance framework update packages
Local AI model deployment for air-gapped ZAP AI
On-premises SIEM and ITSM integration via message queue
Used in OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE and above environments
Deployment model
Inside your boundary. Everything.
ZAP deploys entirely within your cloud subscription. Here is what lives where.
01
Inside boundary
Your cloud tenancy boundary
Everything inside this boundary stays inside. ZAP is deployed here. Your infrastructure lives here. Your findings, evidence and audit logs are here.
02
Inside boundary
ZAP platform components
ZAP compliance engine, IPAM registry, ZAP AI inference, IaC engine, evidence generator and audit store. All deployed as managed resources in your subscription. All within the tenancy boundary.
03
Inside boundary
Cloud provider APIs
ZAP connects to Azure Resource Manager, AWS APIs and GCP APIs within the tenancy. These are native, authenticated connections — same as your platform team uses. No external relay required.
04
Inside boundary
Your existing toolchain
ZAP integrates with GitHub/Azure DevOps (SCM), ServiceNow/Jira (ITSM), Sentinel/Security Hub/Chronicle (SIEM) and your IdP. All connections are within or from your tenancy.
05
Outside your boundary
Zentej (outside your boundary)
Zentej provides updates, support and documentation. We have no connection to your ZAP instance. Updates are delivered as signed packages. Support operates entirely on your screenshots and logs — not remote access.
Layers 01–04 are inside your tenancy boundary. · Layer 05 (Zentej) has no connection to your environment.
Regulatory implications
What self-hosted architecture
What self-hosted architecture
means for your compliance.
Data residency
Infrastructure data remains in your regulated UK or EU cloud region
ZAP's self-hosted architecture ensures all compliance and infrastructure data stays in your chosen cloud region, satisfying FCA data residency requirements.
Material outsourcing
ZAP is not a material outsourcing arrangement — it runs in your tenancy
Because ZAP runs inside your cloud subscription, it does not constitute a material outsourcing arrangement under FCA PS21/3, reducing your TPRM and outsourcing register burden.
Exit planning
IaC-based deployment means portability is structural, not contractual
ZAP is deployed via Infrastructure as Code. Exit is a redeployment, not a data migration negotiation. Your compliance data stays in your tenancy regardless.
Oversight
You have full visibility of your ZAP instance — Zentej has none
FCA PS21/3 requires firms to maintain oversight of outsourced functions. With ZAP, oversight is complete — you can inspect every component. Zentej cannot.
ICT data governance
Infrastructure scan data stored in your tenancy, not transmitted
DORA requires ICT data governance. ZAP's architecture keeps all scan data, findings and audit trails in your tenancy — your data governance policies apply end-to-end.
Third-party risk
Zentej is a software supplier, not a data processor — reduces TPRM scope
Zentej delivers software, not a service processing your data. This significantly reduces the DORA third-party risk management scope compared to SaaS alternatives.
Incident data
ITSM records and compliance findings remain in your environment
All incident records, findings and ITSM integrations are within your tenancy. Incident data required for DORA reporting never leaves your boundary.
DR evidence
Replication compliance data stored in your environment throughout
Disaster recovery evidence and compliance data generated by ZAP is replicated within your environment according to your own DR policies.
Standard 9 (IT suppliers)
ZAP does not process patient data — it processes infrastructure metadata
ZAP scans infrastructure configuration, not patient records. This keeps DSPT supplier assessment scope minimal and avoids data processing agreements for patient data.
GDPR Article 30
ZAP is not a data processor for personal data
No personal data flows to ZAP. Your Records of Processing Activities do not need a new entry for ZAP — it is an infrastructure governance tool, not a personal data system.
ICO registration
ZAP does not create a new data processing arrangement requiring ICO notification
Because ZAP handles infrastructure metadata rather than personal data, deploying ZAP does not trigger a new ICO notification or registration requirement.
Air-gap
NHS environments with strict network isolation fully supported
ZAP's air-gap capability makes it suitable for NHS environments requiring OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE network isolation, supporting DSPT requirements for secure configuration.
Principle 2
Asset protection — your data stays in your government tenancy
G-Cloud Principle 2 requires asset protection. ZAP's self-hosted architecture ensures all government infrastructure data and compliance findings remain in the government tenancy.
Principle 11
External interface protection — no Zentej interfaces to your environment
Zentej has no interface into your environment. There are no external connections from your ZAP instance to Zentej infrastructure — satisfying external interface protection requirements.
Principle 4
Governance framework — you retain full governance of your ZAP instance
Your governance framework applies to your ZAP instance. Zentej has no governance role in your deployment. All access controls, audit logs and configurations are yours.
Principle 1
Data in transit — no data in transit to Zentej because there is no connection
The simplest way to protect data in transit is to have no transit. Because Zentej has no connection to your ZAP instance, data in transit to Zentej does not exist.
No personal data processing
ZAP processes infrastructure metadata, not personal data
ZAP scans resource configurations, compliance states and infrastructure topology. It does not process personal data, so standard GDPR data processor obligations do not apply to ZAP.
Data minimisation
ZAP collects only what is needed for compliance governance
ZAP applies data minimisation principles — it collects only the infrastructure metadata needed to perform compliance scanning and evidence generation, nothing more.
Storage limitation
All data retained in your tenancy per your own retention policies
ZAP data stays in your tenancy. Your organisation's retention policies govern how long data is retained. Zentej has no role in your retention decisions.
Accountability
You are the controller of your ZAP instance and its data
Because ZAP is deployed in your tenancy and Zentej has no access, you are the sole controller of your ZAP instance data. Accountability is clear and undivided.
Annex A.15 — Supplier relationships
ZAP reduces supplier risk scope vs SaaS alternatives
ISO 27001 Annex A.15 requires managing supplier relationships and risk. ZAP's architecture — software you operate, not a service Zentej runs — reduces the A.15 scope considerably.
A.13 — Communications
No external data transmission to Zentej
A.13 controls network security and data transfer. ZAP creates no external data transfers to Zentej — there is no network communication to manage, control or document.
A.12 — Operations
You control the operational security of your ZAP instance
Operational security controls — A.12 — are fully in your hands. You control access, logging, change management and operational procedures for your ZAP instance.
A.18 — Compliance
Self-hosted architecture directly supports data residency compliance
A.18 requires compliance with legal, regulatory and contractual requirements. ZAP's self-hosted design ensures data residency requirements are met structurally, not contractually.
Zentej certifications
Our security certifications.
Zentej maintains Cyber Essentials Plus certification and is an ICO-registered organisation.
Free · 30 minutes · No commitment
Discuss your data
Discuss your data
residency requirements.
30 minutes. We walk through ZAP's architecture in the context of your regulatory environment.
Book a session