NOUS — Architecture: how it works, channels, policies, Vault, and databases

Architecture

How Nous works end to end

A single runtime receives requests from every channel, verifies identity and policies before touching your systems, pulls credentials from a secure Vault to query your databases natively, and records every decision.

Request lifecycle

What happens from the moment someone asks or requests an action until it is audited

No channel talks directly to your databases or to an unguarded model. Every request passes through six stages governed by the kernel.

  1. 01

    Entry through any channel & SSO identity

    A teammate writes or speaks from Web, Android, iOS, WhatsApp, Voice/SIP, or Alexa. The gateway validates their corporate SSO session, role, and department.

  2. 02

    Intent recognition & business ontology

    Nous identifies whether the request is a data query, a recommendation, or a transactional workflow, and resolves the business objects involved (Customer, Invoice, Supplier, Exchange rate).

  3. 03

    Policy enforcement in the kernel

    Before anything runs, the kernel evaluates policies top to bottom: which objects and rows that role may see, which fields are masked, and whether the action is read-only or requires approval.

  4. 04

    Execution with Vault secrets & native data access

    The executor retrieves credentials from the internal Vault (never exposing them to the model) and queries your databases through native drivers or runs the workflow with EVA under contract.

  5. 05

    Approval engine, SLA, and signature

    When a rule requires sign-off (for example, a sales adjustment of 10,000 or more), Nous runs the approver chain (SITE_MANAGER → GOP → DIRECTOR_SEGMENTO → CFO) with L1/L2 signature and automatic voice:SIP calls if the SLA expires.

  6. 06

    Channel response & immutable lineage

    The result returns to the originating channel and the event viewer records full lineage: who asked, what data was used, which model reasoned, which policy applied, and who approved.

Security & data at the core

Enforced policies, keys in a Vault, and native database connectivity

Three runtime foundations let AI operate at speed on real enterprise data without opening security gaps.

Deterministic policies

Policies are enforced by the engine, not by a prompt

Business and security logic never depends on a model “remembering” an instruction.

  • Top-to-bottom deterministic evaluation: the first route matching role, object, and amount wins.
  • Object-, row-, and column-level access control; sensitive fields are masked before returning.
  • Zero auto-merge: no workflow change, permission grant, or critical write happens without explicit authorization.
Secrets Vault

Keys and credentials stay safe in a Vault

The kernel never lets the model touch files or see credentials: every secret is encrypted or sent to the Vault.

  • Secrets are encrypted and managed from the control plane; the LLM, prompts, chats, and logs never see a key.
  • The kernel blocks disk access by default: each person enables access to files, mailboxes, or connectors when needed.
  • Allowlist of paths, destinations, and tools: only explicitly allowed resources can be read or reached.
Live data

Native database connectivity

Nous queries your data engines through native drivers and built-in connection pools, without fragile glue.

  • Native support for SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL / MariaDB, IBM Db2, ClickHouse, DuckDB, and Redis.
  • Read-only databases by default; writes are enabled only inside authorized workflow steps.
  • Connection pooling with concurrency control, timeouts, real transactions, and per-datasource metrics.

Governed omnichannel

Every channel connected to the same brain and the same rules

There is no separate bot for web and another for WhatsApp or phone. Every channel enters the same data plane and follows the same roles, policies, and approvals.

Web & operations console (HTTP / WebSocket)

Enterprise chat, tables, event viewer, metrics by flow, approval-route editor, and real-time ontology explorer.

Native Android & iOS clients

Mobile terminals for executives and field teams: queries, on-the-go approvals, voice, and file attachments.

Enterprise WhatsApp

Request handling, portfolio or balance queries, and approval responses bound to the user’s corporate identity.

Voice & SIP telephony (voice:SIP)

Two-way voice channel plus automatic outbound calls when an approver does not respond within the configured SLA.

Voice assistants (Alexa)

Executive briefings (“how did the company wake up today?”) and quick queries under profile permissions.

APIs & events for internal systems

Direct integration with ERPs, CRMs, and custom portals over HTTP/JSONL contracts with full traceability.

Plane separation

Two separate planes: administering the platform never mixes with channel traffic

Teammates talking over Web, WhatsApp, or phone enter through the operations plane; administrators configuring policies, approval routes, database connections, or the secrets Vault work in an isolated control plane.

Operations & security

Control plane

The environment where technology and security teams govern the platform away from conversational traffic.

  • Define policies, roles, object permissions, and approval routes.
  • Manage the secrets Vault, signing certificates, and native database datasources.
  • Monitor health, work queues, response times, and workflow versions.
Live traffic

Data & channels plane

The single entry point for employees, customers, and internal enterprise systems.

  • Receives requests across Web, Android, iOS, WhatsApp, Voice/SIP, Alexa, and APIs.
  • Validates corporate SSO identity and maintains session context across channels.
  • Delivers answers, tables, notifications, and real-time approval calls.
Central arbiter

Governance engine (Kernel)

The core that verifies every rule before any database or enterprise system is touched.

  • Evaluates policies top to bottom and filters objects, rows, and sensitive fields.
  • Opens native database connections injecting credentials directly from the Vault.
  • Runs L1/L2 approval chains with SLAs and records full lineage in the event viewer.
Contracted intelligence

Model pool (EVA)

The reasoning layer that interprets natural language and executes authorized steps.

  • Runs local models on your own servers or remote models approved by your organization.
  • Uses only the tools and queries enabled for that specific workflow and role.
  • Never receives Vault passwords and can never alter rules or permissions.

EVA · Expert Virtual Agent

EVA reasons. Nous governs.

We separate the intelligence that interprets and drafts from the authority that decides what may be queried, what may be modified, and who must sign off.

Capability

What EVA does in every operation

Understands requests in natural language, cross-references authorized enterprise data, prepares executive summaries, and executes reasoning steps inside each workflow.

Strict boundaries

What EVA can never do on its own

It never sees Vault keys, cannot bypass an approval chain, cannot modify policies, and never writes to a database outside an explicitly authorized step.

Model independence

Local or approved models without lock-in

Direct queries and deterministic rules run without invoking a model when none is needed. When EVA participates, you can run local models on your servers or whichever endpoints your company approves.

Context & traceability

Business ontology, workflow catalog, and audit trail

So AI understands your operation and every decision is demonstrable to leadership and auditors, Nous keeps three live layers in the same installation.

Ontology

Live map of business objects

Customers, invoices, suppliers, orders, employees, controls, and risks linked together and mapped to your real tables and systems.

Governed workflows

Process & approval catalog

14+ operational workflows ready to run with validations, amount thresholds, L1/L2 signatures, and automatic voice:SIP calls when an SLA expires.

Full auditability

Event viewer & immutable lineage

Every query and every action is recorded with originating channel, requester, data accessed, policy applied, approvers, duration, and outcome.

Multi-site & enterprise groups

Site-to-site federation: each subsidiary keeps data local, connected under governance

Built for enterprise groups, banks, and institutions running independent Nous installations across multiple plants, countries, or subsidiaries.

Local sovereignty at every site

Each subsidiary keeps its databases, its secrets Vault, and its daily operations inside its own perimeter without relying on a central cloud.

Cryptographically signed bundles

Authorized sites exchange catalogs, workflow definitions, and operational knowledge through cryptographically signed and verified packages.

Governed change control with zero auto-overwrite

No package received from another site overwrites local rules or workflows automatically—every import goes through verification and approval.

Connectors & integrations