Form Factor

Overview

In Tensor9's model, a Form Factor defines the environment and constraints in which an Appliance runs. It specifies the cloud provider, connectivity level, and security requirements, ensuring that the vendor's App adapts to the buyer’s infrastructure while meeting operational and compliance needs.

A form factor describes essential attributes such as whether the appliance runs in AWS, Azure, GCP, or on-premises; whether it is air-gapped or connected to the internet; and any regulatory requirements such as FIPS or CMMC compliance.

Motivation

1. Consistency Across Environments: Vendors can package their apps consistently, regardless of the form factor chosen by the customer.
2. Simplified Compliance: Security requirements are explicitly defined, making it easier to adhere to industry-specific regulations.
3. Adaptability: Form factors support flexible deployment options across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.

Key Concepts

• Environment: Specifies the deployment environment for the appliance (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, or Bare Metal).
• Connectivity: Describes whether the appliance is Connected (able to reach external services) or Air-Gapped (disconnected from external networks).
• Security Requirements: Details the compliance standards the appliance must adhere to, such as FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) or CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification).

Components

1. Environment
   The environment specifies where the appliance runs:

   • AWS, GCP, Azure: Public cloud environments.
   • Kubernetes (K8s): Customer-provided Kubernetes environments.
   • Bare Metal: On-prem hardware managed by Tensor9 (e.g., running Tensor9-managed Kubernetes).

2. Connectivity
   Describes the network access available to the appliance:

   • Connected: The appliance can communicate with external services over the internet.
   • Air-Gapped: The appliance operates in a completely isolated environment with no external network access.

3. Security Requirements
   Specifies any regulatory or compliance requirements:

   • FIPS: Defines the version of FIPS (e.g., FIPS 140-2 or FIPS 140-3).
   • CMMC: Specifies the CMMC version (e.g., CMMC 1.0 or CMMC 2.0).
   • The form factor must explicitly list these requirements to ensure that the appliance is configured accordingly.

In Practice

When configuring an appliance, the form factor ensures that the environment matches the customer’s needs. For example:

• A government agency may require an air-gapped Kubernetes appliance with FIPS 140-3 compliance.
• A financial institution may choose a connected AWS-based appliance for lower-latency cloud-native operations.

By defining the form factor, Tensor9 helps vendors support a wide range of customer deployment scenarios without rewriting their apps for each unique infrastructure.