Kiosks & Self-Service
Ephemeral Endpoint Architecture for Public-Facing Execution Surfaces
Self-service kiosks operate in the least trusted environments imaginable.
They are public, unattended, physically accessible, and expected to operate reliably—often 24/7.
Yet many kiosk deployments still rely on full operating systems with local storage, persistent sessions, and fragile recovery processes.
Scylos applies Substrate-as-a-Service to kiosks and self-service environments through an Ephemeral Endpoint Architecture (EEA).
Instead of installing and maintaining a resident operating system, Scylos decouples execution from the OS entirely—transforming kiosks into stateless execution surfaces that present a locked-down experience during authorized use and terminate without persistence when the session ends.
For public-facing endpoints, ephemerality is not optional.
It is essential.
Why Ephemeral Endpoint Architecture for Kiosks & Self-Service
Traditional kiosk architectures struggle with:
- OS corruption and configuration drift
- Local data leakage between users
- Manual recovery after crashes or power loss
- USB and peripheral-based attack vectors
- Costly truck rolls and reimaging
EEA removes the operating system from the kiosk trust and threat model.
Kiosks are no longer treated as persistent computers. They become disposable execution surfaces—centrally governed, intent-driven, and free of accumulated state.
This is OS decoupling applied to public-facing infrastructure.
Architectural Outcomes for Kiosks & Self-Service
Session-Level Isolation
Every interaction begins from a verified baseline.
No user data, credentials, or execution artifacts persist between sessions.
Locked-Down by Architecture
Only explicitly authorized execution is permitted—no shell access, no background services, no local OS surface to exploit.
Security Through Ephemerality
Crashes, power loss, or tampering result in a clean restart.
Because persistence never exists, recovery occurs through termination and re-execution rather than remediation.
Centralized Fleet Governance
Kiosk personas, execution profiles, and policies are governed centrally from a single control plane.
Reduced Operational Cost
No reimaging pipelines, fewer truck rolls, and simplified support across large kiosk fleets.
Public-Environment Resilience
No resident OS, no stored credentials, and no local data to extract.
Common Kiosk & Self-Service Use Cases
- Retail self-checkout
- QSR ordering kiosks
- Airport check-in and wayfinding
- Healthcare intake and registration
- Financial and payment terminals
- Government and municipal self-service
- Events, venues, and temporary installations
Anywhere multiple users interact with the same device in a public setting, stateless execution surfaces provide a safer foundation.
Kiosks & Self-Service FAQ
How is Scylos different from traditional kiosk operating systems?
Traditional kiosk platforms are hardened versions of full operating systems.
Scylos eliminates the operating system from the execution surface entirely and delivers only a stateless execution substrate, reducing both risk and operational complexity.
What happens when a user session ends?
All execution artifacts and session data are destroyed. Each new user begins from a clean, verified execution environment—ensuring privacy, consistency, and predictability.
Can Scylos lock a kiosk to a single application or workflow?
Yes.
Kiosks can be bound strictly to one or more authorized execution profiles, preventing access to anything else.
How does Scylos handle crashes or power interruptions?
Kiosks automatically rehydrate their authorized execution profile on restart.
No reimaging, manual resets, or on-site intervention are required.
Is this suitable for payment or sensitive workflows?
Scylos reduces risk by eliminating persistent OS components and local data storage.
Final compliance suitability depends on application behavior and the overall deployment architecture.
Can kiosks be updated remotely?
Yes.
Execution profiles and policies are updated centrally and propagate automatically without touching individual devices.
Does Scylos support common kiosk peripherals?
Peripheral support depends on hardware compatibility and workload requirements.
Scylos is designed to work with common kiosk peripherals where supported by the platform.
How are large kiosk fleets managed?
All kiosk personas, policies, and updates are governed centrally through the Scylos control plane.
Fleet-wide changes can be applied instantly.
What happens if a kiosk is physically tampered with?
Because no persistent OS or local data exists, physical tampering has limited long-term impact.
Compromised devices can be centrally deauthorized.
Who is this best suited for?
Organizations that operate:
- Large kiosk fleets
- Public-facing self-service systems
- Shared devices with high security requirements
- Environments where downtime is costly
Closing Perspective
Public kiosks don't need an operating system.
They need secure, stateless execution—every session, every time.
Ephemeral Endpoint Architecture provides that foundation.
Substrate-as-a-Service makes it operational.