--- title: "Ecosystem Model" slug: ecosystem section: Overview & Architecture status: stable description: "How all systems connect, communicate, and share authority" last-updated: 2026-10-07 --- # Ecosystem Model How all systems connect, communicate, and share authority ## Mental Model > **Think of it this way** > > Each system has a clear identity and purpose. No system overlaps in authority. Globus is the brain. Portals are the hands. n8n is the nervous system. The ecosystem supports multi-brand governance across all sponsor brands: Alliance Abroad / Wild Packs / Teacher Lounge / StepWest / GeoVisions ## Ecosystem Authority Diagram Authority flows downward. Globus is the sponsor core — the single system of record and compliance authority. Portals are experience layers that read and write through Globus APIs. Government SEVIS integration sits above Globus. Government SEVIS submissions status Sponsor Core Globus Alliance Abroad / Wild Packs / Teacher Lounge / StepWest / GeoVisions Programs & Seasons / Applications / Workflow Engine / Rules Engine / Enforcement / RBAC / Job Order Engine / Quota Engine / Partner Agreements / Audit Log / SEVIS Integration reads / writes reads / writes reads / writes Experience Layer Applicant Portal Dynamic Workflow / Doc Upload / SEVIS Check-in / Monthly Check-ins Experience Layer Host Portal Job Order Mgmt / Placement Conf / Evaluations / Arrival Confirm Experience Layer Partner Portal Intake Mgmt / Bulk Upload / Job Order View / Post-SEVIS job order reservations via Globus CRM HubSpot Lead capture + Pre-qual qualified leads to Applicant Portal Orchestration n8n Automation layer triggers from Globus state changes Authority (Globus) Experience layer Supporting system Data flow ## Globus (Sponsor Core) > **Want to see what Globus replaces and how?** > > For a capability-level view of Globus as a modular ERP, see Globus Capability Layers . Globus is the system of record for all sponsor operations. Every operational decision, compliance check, and data point ultimately lives in or flows through Globus. It is the sponsor back office and serves as the central hub that all other systems connect to. Globus manages: Brand and program configuration / Season management and quota allocation / Applicant operational records (post-portal submission) / Partner agreements, quotas, and compliance / Host organization management / SEVIS data submission and DS-2019 lifecycle / Role-based access control (RBAC) / Reporting and analytics ## Applicant Portal The Applicant Portal is the participant-facing experience layer — a guided data capture and journey interface where applicants apply to exchange visitor programs, submit required documents, complete program steps, and track their progress from application through program completion. > **Current Status** > > The Applicant Portal for Camp Counselor and Summer Work & Travel is being built by an external development team. It integrates directly with Globus as the back office. Powered By Globus workflow engine and step library schemas / Program + Season configuration / Rules engine outputs (eligibility, compliance gates) Capabilities Dynamic step rendering based on program + season configuration / AI-assisted document extraction and verification / Status progression and workflow milestone tracking / SEVIS unlock logic (applicant cannot bypass compliance gates) / SEVIS check-in (applicant confirms active status for SEVIS compliance) / Monthly check-ins during active program phase / DS-2019 visibility (view-only, issued by Globus) / Brand white-labeling per sponsor brand / Direct and partner-referred entry paths ### Applicant Boundaries > **Design Principle** > > The Applicant Portal is a guided data capture and experience layer. It renders what Globus configures. It does not make decisions. ## Host Portal The Host Portal serves host organizations — employers, schools, or organizations that place exchange visitors. Hosts manage their job orders, confirm placements, update housing and logistics, submit evaluations, and monitor assigned participants. > **Current Status** > > The Host Portal for Camp Counselor and Summer Work & Travel is being built by an external development team. It integrates directly with Globus as the back office. Capabilities Create and manage job orders / Confirm placements / Update housing information / Submit evaluations / View assigned participants / Confirm arrival compliance ### Host Boundaries > **Design Principle** > > The Host Portal is the operational confirmation layer. It captures host-side facts. It does not make eligibility or compliance decisions. ## Partner Portal The Partner Portal is the recruitment distribution network — the interface through which recruiting partners submit applicants, manage their allocated quotas, and track applicant progress through the program lifecycle. > **Partner Organization Taxonomy** > > In the Globus ecosystem, “Partner Organization” is a single concept with two categories: (1) Employer (Host) — managed through the Host Portal, and (2) Recruiter — managed through the Partner Portal. Recruiters include both external third-party recruiting companies and internal sponsor staff (sales offices, regional recruiting teams). Internal recruiters use the same Partner Portal as external recruiters but may have different RBAC configuration. This keeps Globus focused on back-office processing while all recruiting workflows — internal or external — stay in the Partner Portal. > **Partner Portal Dependency** > > The Partner Portal is critical for Teach programs (TeachUSA, Teach Intern/Trainee) which rely heavily on external partner recruiting. Camp programs also benefit from the Partner Portal when internal sponsor recruiting teams use it to complete applications on behalf of applicants. Applicant creation and bulk upload / Quota visibility and reservation / Limited applicant profile editing / Recruitment attribution tracking / Post-SEVIS milestone visibility (read-only) ## Job Order → Placement Flow The placement flow spans three systems — Host Portal, Globus, and Partner Portal. This is the unified sequence from job order creation through confirmed placement. s capacity., 3 / System / Activates capacity / Upon approval, the job order > **Governance** > > Every step is audit logged, season-aware, and permission-driven. Reservations respect partner quota limits and agreement scope. ## Integration Summary The ecosystem connects to several external platforms. Each integration has a dedicated page with full scope details. ## Infrastructure Evolution The ecosystem infrastructure is evolving to support the production workload. Two key migrations are underway: CI/CD on GitHub Actions For the Globus Hub (BackOfficePrototype), build and deployment run on GitHub Actions (quality-gate.yml; deploy-feature-request.yml / trusted-deploy-dev.yml for `feature/*` branches onto a `globus-dev-N` pool slot, deploy-release-qa.yml for `release/*` branches onto a `globus-qa-N` pool slot, and deploy-prod-bluegreen.yml for `main`, a GKE Gateway blue-green cutover that production moved to on 2026-10-05): images are built into Artifact Registry and rolled out to GKE with kubectl using the manifests under `k8s/`. The former deploy-development.yml, deploy-qa.yml and deploy-production.yml were disabled on 2026-10-05. See Architecture Diagram — CI/CD for details. Codebase → DDD Module Decomposition The Globus codebase is not yet decomposed into DDD modules: `server/` is organised as flat `routes/`, `services/`, `storage/` and `lib/` directories. Per-capability bounded contexts (each with its own routes, services, repositories, and domain models, communicating through domain events rather than direct imports) are the target structure. See Architecture Diagram — DDD Modules for the full module table.