Hybrid & Multi-Cloud
On-prem + cloud, egress, vendor lock-in.
Learning objectives
- Define hybrid cloud and multi-cloud architectures
- Identify integration challenges: identity, networking, data sync
- Sketch Workshop Co.'s current hybrid layout and improvements
Hybrid cloud
Hybrid cloud combines on-premises (or colocated) infrastructure with public cloud or hosted VPS resources, orchestrated as one logical system. Workshop Co. is already hybrid:
- On-prem: Proxmox — primary web, DB, Nextcloud
- Hosted (Canadian VPS): DR site, static fallback
- Public SaaS: Google, Calendly, Stripe
Multi-cloud
Multi-cloud uses two or more infrastructure providers — e.g. Swift Host VPS + AWS S3 for backups + Google for email. Workshop Co. avoids deep AWS dependency to keep billing simple, but using Google + Swift Host + registrar is technically multi-cloud.
Keep latency-sensitive or large file storage local (Nextcloud PDFs), use Canadian VPS for geo-redundancy, use global SaaS where no good Canadian alternative exists (accept data processing agreements).
Worked example — hybrid diagram
Workshop Co. hybrid map
- Edmonton on-prem
- Proxmox — authoritative PostgreSQL, Nextcloud, Traefik
- Montreal VPS
- Nightly DB replica + static site; DNS failover target
- Google (global)
- Email, Drive for office docs
- Calendly (US SaaS)
book.workshopco.caCNAME- Sync
pg_dump+ WAL archive to VPS; rsync static assets
Integration pain points
| Challenge | Workshop Co. example | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | SSH keys vs Google SSO | Document who has what; SSO for apps, keys for servers |
| Data consistency | DR DB 1 hour behind | Document RPO; test failover |
| Networking | Private IPs not routable across sites | VPN or public HTTPS + auth |
| Cost visibility | Five vendors invoice separately | Monthly spreadsheet in Chapter 8 |
When to expand hybrid
- Edmonton power outage risk → strengthen Montreal role
- Hiring remote developer → Canadian VPS staging environment
- Compliance audit → move PII database to dedicated Canadian host only
Try it yourself
Draw boxes for: on-prem, Swift Host VPS, Google, Calendly. Label data flows for (a) customer booking, (b) staff email, (c) nightly backup.
Sample flows
- Booking: Browser → workshopco.ca → on-prem web → on-prem PostgreSQL
- Email: Browser/app → Google MX (SaaS, not through Proxmox)
- Backup: on-prem pg_dump → encrypted transfer → Montreal VPS storage
Check your understanding
- Is using Google Workspace + on-prem web automatically "multi-cloud"?
- What is one downside of hybrid complexity for a two-person IT team?
Answers
- Yes — multiple separate providers in the architecture, even if not "enterprise multi-cloud strategy."
- More failure modes, patching schedules, and invoices — Marcus must document runbooks carefully.