Mac Mini or Private Virtual Server: Where Should Your Agent Run?
Every Apollo Claw agent runs in one of two places. One is a computer in your building that you own. The other is a dedicated server we provision for you alone. Same agent, same files, same rules. Here is how to choose.
Two Homes for the Same Agent
A private virtual server is the fast path. You answer a short questionnaire, the agent is built on a server reserved for it in about 15 minutes, and you are talking to it on Telegram or Slack the same afternoon. We keep the server patched, monitored and backed up, and it is encrypted end to end.
A Mac Mini on your network is the on-premises path. The machine is yours, it sits in your office, and the agent's files, memory and credentials stay on it. It accepts no inbound connections; it reaches out only to the services you approved. We set it up, hand it over, and hold no access afterwards.
The agent itself is identical on both. What differs is where the data sits, who holds the keys, how quickly you start, and what your IT policy requires.
What Each Option Gives You
Every claim below matches what our Security page says, line for line.
| Mac Mini on your network | Private virtual server | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the data lives | In your building, on a machine you own. Files, memory and credentials stay on the device. | On a dedicated server reserved for your agent alone. One server per agent, yours only. |
| Time to launch | A custom build. We configure the machine and schedule your first session within two business days. | About 15 minutes online from the questionnaire, then connect your tools. |
| Who holds access | You. We hold physical access during setup only; after hand-over the device is entirely yours. | You and Apollo Claw. We keep the server patched and monitored; key-based access only, passwords disabled. |
| Encryption | FileVault full-disk encryption. | Full-volume disk encryption. |
| Network posture | Firewall in stealth mode and outbound HTTPS only, to a named list of services. No inbound access, no VPN. | Firewall closed to everything but the ports the agent needs. Public-facing for webhooks and hosted assets. |
| What you need on site | A desk, power and a network connection that stays on. A managed-device policy is worth checking with us first. | A browser and the chat app you prefer. |
| Several agents | One machine can carry several agents for one firm, scoped at setup. | Each plan's agents run on their own server, added from the dashboard. |
| If you cancel | The machine and everything on it stay with you. | The server is paused first, and everything on it is kept until the retention window closes, so a change of mind is reversible. |
| Best fit | Firms that must keep client or patient data on premises, or whose IT policy rules out cloud hosting. | Owners and departments that want the agent running this week, with their data already in cloud tools. |
Four Questions That Settle It
Where Does Your Data Live Today?
If your matters, charts or client files already sit in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or a cloud practice system, a private virtual server changes little about where your data already is. If they sit on a server in your closet, a Mac Mini keeps them there.
What Does Your IT Policy Say?
Some firms, and most that handle regulated data, have a written rule that processing happens only on hardware they own. That rule decides it: Mac Mini.
How Soon Do You Need It Running?
This week means the private virtual server. A Mac Mini needs a short visit or screen-share and a couple of days.
Who Looks After the Machine?
A private virtual server is ours to patch and watch. A Mac Mini runs on its own, with our support a message away, but it is your hardware and your power cord.
What Stays the Same Either Way
Questions We Hear on Every Call
Can I start on a private virtual server and move to a Mac Mini later?
Yes. The agent is the same on both: the same files, the same connections, the same models. Moving it is a scheduled job on our side, and the agent keeps its memory.
Does a Mac Mini need an IT person on my side?
It needs a desk, power and a network connection that stays on. We set it up in person or on a screen-share, and after that it runs on its own. A managed-device policy at your firm is the one thing to check with us first.
Which one is faster to launch?
The private virtual server. Answer the questionnaire and the agent is built in about 15 minutes online. A Mac Mini is a custom build: we configure the machine and schedule your first session within two business days.
Which one do law firms and medical practices usually choose?
Practices that have to keep client or patient data on premises lean to the Mac Mini, because the data stays in the building and the machine accepts no inbound connections. Firms whose data already lives in cloud tools are usually well served by the private virtual server.
Still Weighing It?
Tell us where your data lives and what your IT policy says. We will tell you which one fits in one call.