---
title: Compute-to-Data
description: How Ocean Protocol enables Publishers to provide computing services and related services.
slug: /concepts/compute-to-data/
section: concepts
---
## Motivation
The most basic scenario for a Publisher is to provide access to the datasets they own or manage.
In addition to that, a Publisher could offer a service to execute some computation on top of their data. This has some benefits:
- The data **never** leaves the Publisher enclave.
- It's not necessary to move the data; the algorithm is sent to the data.
- Having only one copy of the data and not moving it makes it easier to be compliant with data protection regulations.
## Architecture
### Enabling Publisher Services (Brizo)
The direct interaction with the infrastructure where the data resides requires the execution of a component handled by Publishers.
This component will be in charge of interacting with users and managing the basics of a Publisher's infrastructure to provide these additional services.
The business logic supporting these additional Publisher capabilities is the responsibility of this new technical component.
The main and new key component introduced to support these additional Publisher services is named **Brizo**.
> Brizo is an ancient Greek goddess who was known as the protector of mariners, sailors, and fishermen. She was worshipped primarily by the women of Delos, who set out food offerings in small boats. Brizo was also known as a prophet specializing in the interpretation of dreams.
In the Ocean ecosystem, Brizo is the technical component executed by the **Publishers**, which provides extended data services. Brizo, as part of the Publisher ecosystem, includes the credentials to interact with the infrastructure (initially in cloud providers, but it could be on-premise).
Because of these credentials, the execution of Brizo **SHOULD NOT** be delegated to a third-party.
### Compute-to-Data Enviroment (Operator-Service)
The Operator Service is a micro-service implementing part of the Ocean Protocol
[Compute to the Data OEP-12](https://github.com/oceanprotocol/OEPs/tree/master/12),
in charge of managing the workflow executing requests.
Typically the Operator Service is integrated from the [Brizo proxy](https://github.com/oceanprotocol/brizo),
but can be called independently if it.
The Operator Service is in charge of stablishing the communication with the K8s cluster, allowing to:
- Register workflows as K8s objects
- List the workflows registered in K8s
- Stop a running workflow execution
- Get information about the state of execution of a workflow
The Operator Service doesn't provide any storage capability, all the state is stored directly in the K8s cluster.
### Responsibilities
The main responsibilities are:
- Expose an HTTP API allowing for the execution of data access and compute endpoints.
- Authorize the user on-chain using the proper Service Agreement. That is, validate that the user requesting the service is allowed to use that service.
- Interact with the infrastructure (cloud/on-premise) using the Publisher's credentials.
- Start/stop/execute computing instances with the algorithms provided by users.
- Retrieve the logs generated during executions.
- Register newly-derived assets arising from the executions (i.e. as new Ocean assets) (if required by the consumer).
### Flow
In the above diagram you can see the initial integration supported. It involves the following components/actors:
- Data Scientists/Consumers - The end users who need to use some computing services offered by the same Publisher as the data Publisher.
- Ocean Keeper - In charge of enforcing the Service Agreement by tracing conditions.
- Operator-Service - Micro-service that is handling the compute requests.
- Operator-Engine - The computing systems where the compute will be executed.
Before the flow can begin, the following pre-conditions must be met:
- The Asset DDO has a compute service.
- The Asset DDO must specify the Brizo endpoint exposed by the Publisher.
- The Service Agreement template must already be predefined and whitelisted `on-chain`.