AI BOX
Your secure AI solution for medium-sized businesses
The possibilities of AI are limitless. So are the risks.
Automating routine tasks. Analysing documents. Accessing internal knowledge. Speeding up processes. Artificial intelligence can support businesses at virtually every level, and its potential is growing every day.
But anyone who uses AI bears a responsibility: for their data, their employees and compliance with legal requirements (such as the EU AI Act). Feeding sensitive company data into public AI systems carries significant risks – ranging from data protection breaches to the uncontrolled loss of confidential information.
The AI Box offers you the best of both worlds: the power of modern AI and complete control over your data.
What is the AI Box?
The AI Box is a fully pre-configured hardware and software solution that integrates powerful AI technology directly into your business infrastructure. It is secure, flexible and ready to use straight away.
Your employees work via a central platform: using locally operated models for maximum data security and powerful cloud models such as ChatGPT, Claude Sonnet or Mistral for day-to-day work. Which model is used depends on the use case and the sensitivity of the data.
Your benefits at a glance
Security
You have full control over which data leaves your organisation and which does not. Our three-tier security framework is based on the BSI’s Basic Protection Requirements and Security Classification Categories. This ensures that every request is processed at the appropriate security level. Furthermore, we implement technical measures to prevent your data from being used to train external AI models.
Flexibility
Your staff don’t have to compromise on security or performance. Via a single, easy-to-use interface, they can select the model that best suits their task. They can switch between on-premises AI and public cloud models such as ChatGPT, Claude Sonnet, Mistral and others directly within the platform.
Cost-effectiveness
Rather than paying for expensive individual subscriptions for each employee, public cloud models offer pay-as-you-go billing, so you only pay for what you use. With on-premises models, you run the software on your own hardware and incur no ongoing usage fees. The result is predictable costs and measurable increases in efficiency in day-to-day work, even with intensive use.
Data sovereignty
The AI Box was developed with one clear principle in mind: to ensure that you always retain control over your data.
- On-premises: We supply you with pre-configured hardware that is installed on your premises. When using on-premises AI, it is technically impossible for data to leave your network.
- BSI-compliant protection requirement classes: Our 3-tier security framework (see below) is based on the protection requirement categories of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and provides clear guidance on which model is suitable for which data.
- Zero data retention: Where providers of public cloud models allow it, we ensure technically that your data is not used to train external AI models.
- Role-based access concept: Through integration into your existing single sign-on (SSO) infrastructure, you determine which employees are permitted or recommended to use which models and security levels.
The 3-tier security framework
Not every task requires the same level of security. The AI-Box’s 3-tier security framework categorises data according to the BSI’s security requirements and provides you and your staff with clear guidance on which model is suitable for which data.
Local AI is available for data that requires the highest level of protection. Processing takes place exclusively on your hardware, so it is technically impossible for data to leave your network. This applies to all types of data found in organisations, regardless of sector or size, such as personnel files and health data in HR, confidential tender documents in procurement, CAD design data in product development and test reports from research.
The AI Box provides access to IONOS’s sovereign AI platform for internal business data and processes that are subject to legal requirements. Data processing takes place exclusively in IONOS’s European data centres and is governed by data processing agreements. Furthermore, your data will not be used for training purposes. This means you benefit from GDPR-compliant processing and access to leading open-source models.
For everyday tasks that do not involve confidential company data, public cloud models such as ChatGPT (OpenAI), Claude Sonnet (Anthropic) or Mistral AI are available. These models are fast, powerful and cost-effective, with usage-based pricing. They are ideal for brainstorming, text formatting or general research.
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What is included in the AI Box?
| Pre-configured hardware: | We provide you with high-performance hardware optimised for AI workloads, which is installed and commissioned on-site at your premises. |
| Initial setup & user training: | Our experts will integrate the hardware into your IT infrastructure and train your staff in its day-to-day use and in how to use the management system. |
| Intuitive chat interface: | An easy-to-use web interface, similar to ChatGPT, featuring personalised user profiles and integration with your existing login infrastructure (Single Sign-On (SSO)). |
| RAG Infrastructure: | With a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) infrastructure, you can provide the AI model with access to internal knowledge sources to draw upon when generating responses. We provide the technical foundation that enables your staff to build their own knowledge databases and enrich the AI with internal documents, such as PDFs or Word files. |
| Prompt library: | Frequently used prompts can be saved and managed either across teams or on an individual user basis. |
| Web search: | We will set up the technical connection to enable the AI to access up-to-date information from the internet. We will also help you to set this up with your preferred search engine. |
| Role-based access control: | We integrate the AI Box with your existing Single Sign-On (SSO) login infrastructure. This enables you to specify which employees are authorised to use which models and security levels. |
| Operation: | You decide how day-to-day operations are organised. We can either handle maintenance, security updates and model updates entirely remotely. Alternatively, we can train your IT team to operate and update the AI Box independently. |
| Support: | In addition to day-to-day operations, we are here to assist you with any queries regarding your day-to-day work, when switching or upgrading AI models, integrating new features and interfaces, as well as with infrastructure adjustments, security configurations and specific requirements. |
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about the AI Box
The AI Box is a localised hardware and software solution. It provides your staff with access to both local and popular public cloud AI models (e.g. ChatGPT or Claude Sonnet) through a single user interface.
The AI Box offers a comprehensive security framework based on a 3-tier model that aligns with BSI (Federal Office for Information Security) standards.
In combination with a role-based access control system, you can precisely control which employees or departments are granted access to the various models.
The AI Box is primarily aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It offers a turnkey solution that makes it easy and cost-effective to get started with the secure and data-protection-compliant use of AI.
SMEs benefit from an AI infrastructure tailored to their needs, without the hassle of complex in-house development. This enables even smaller businesses to fully exploit the advantages of modern AI technology and strengthen their competitiveness in the long term.
Data sovereignty means that you always retain full control over where and how your data is processed. In practice, this means that you can specify the security level (Tier 1, 2 or 3) at which data is processed for each application and use case individually.
This ensures that sensitive data is exclusively processed locally or within the EU, while less critical data can be processed globally where appropriate.
In principle, it is possible to integrate the AI Box into existing systems.
However, as every system environment is unique, our AI consultants and technical experts must first conduct a detailed analysis and assessment. Based on the results of this analysis, we will work with you to develop the optimal solution for your specific requirements.
The cost of the AI Box includes the following components:
- Hardware costs: One-off costs based on your individual requirements and the necessary capacity.
- Set-up costs: One-off costs for setting up and configuring the AI Box.
- Operation or operational training:
- Operation: Ongoing costs based on fixed monthly or annual flat rates.
- Operational training: One-off costs for training your staff to operate the AI Box independently.
- Additional costs may arise if you make use of optional services such as support or training.
Yes, the AI Box is designed to be adapted to changing requirements. This includes, for example, updating the underlying language model (LLM) to ensure you always benefit from the latest AI developments.
When it comes to further upgrades, the existing hardware plays a crucial role. As long as spare capacity is available, upgrades can be carried out easily. If the existing capacity is insufficient, additional hardware will need to be procured.
We would be happy to advise you on which upgrades are appropriate and feasible for your specific needs.
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