This architecture guide provides practical guidance on planning and architecting
your hybrid and multicloud environments using Google Cloud. This document is the
first of three documents in the set. It examines the opportunities and
considerations associated with these architectures from a business and
technology point of view. It also analyzes and discusses many proven hybrid and
multicloud architecture patterns.

The document set for hybrid and multicloud architecture patterns consists of
these parts:

- Build hybrid and multicloud architectures: discusses planning a strategy for architecting a hybrid and multicloud setup with Google Cloud (this article).
- [Hybrid and multicloud architecture patterns](https://docs.cloud.google.com/architecture/hybrid-multicloud-patterns-and-practices): discusses common architecture patterns to adopt as part of a hybrid and multicloud strategy.
- [Hybrid and multicloud secure networking architecture patterns](https://docs.cloud.google.com/architecture/hybrid-multicloud-secure-networking-patterns): discusses hybrid and multicloud networking architecture patterns from a networking perspective.

You can read each of these architecture articles independently, but for the
most benefit, we recommend reading them in sequence before making an
architectural decision.

The rapid pace of change in market demands has increased the requirements and
expectations that are placed on enterprise IT, such as dynamic scale, increased
performance for optimized user experience, and security. Many enterprise-level
companies find it challenging to meet these demands and expectations using only
traditional infrastructure and processes. IT departments are also under pressure
to improve their cost effectiveness, making it difficult to justify additional
capital investments in data centers and equipment.

A hybrid cloud strategy that uses public cloud computing capabilities provides a
pragmatic solution. By using the public cloud, you can extend the capacity and
capabilities of your computing platforms without up-front capital investment
costs.

By adding one or more public cloud based solutions, like Google Cloud, to
your existing infrastructure, you not only preserve your existing investments,
but you also avoid committing yourself to a single cloud vendor. Also, by using
a hybrid strategy, you can modernize applications and processes incrementally as
resources permit.

To help you plan for your architectural decision and hybrid or multicloud
strategy planning, there are several potential challenges and design
considerations that you should consider. This multi-part architecture guide
highlights both the potential benefits of various architectures and the
potential challenges.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** This guide doesn't discuss multicloud architectures that use SaaS products, like customer relationship management (CRM) systems or email, alongside a cloud service provider (CSP).

## Overview of hybrid cloud and multicloud

Because workloads, infrastructure, and processes are unique to each enterprise,
each hybrid cloud strategy must be adapted to your specific needs. The result is
that the terms *hybrid cloud* and *multicloud* are sometimes used
inconsistently.

Within the context of this Google Cloud architecture guide, the term
*hybrid cloud* describes an architecture in which workloads are deployed across
multiple computing environments, one based in the public cloud, and at least one
being private---for example, an on-premises data center or a colocation facility.

The term *multicloud* describes an architecture that combines at least two
public CSPs. As illustrated in the following diagram,
sometimes this architecture includes a private computing environment (that might
include the use of a private cloud component). That arrangement is called a
hybrid and multicloud architecture.

![Diagram of the three architectures discussed in this series: hybrid, multicloud, and mix of hybrid and multicloud architectures.](https://docs.cloud.google.com/static/architecture/images/hybrid-multicloud-patterns/architectures.svg)

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** The term *hybrid and multicloud* refers to any combination of the three architectures displayed in the preceding diagram. However, where possible this series attempts to be specific when discussing architecture patterns.

## Contributors

Author: [Marwan Al Shawi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marwanalshawi) \| Partner Customer Engineer

Other contributors:

- [Saud Albazei](https://www.linkedin.com/in/albazei) \| Customer Engineer, Application Modernization
- [Anna Berenberg](https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaberenberg) \| Engineering Fellow
- [Marco Ferrari](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferrarimark) \| Cloud Solutions Architect
- [Victor Moreno](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vimoreno) \| Product Manager, Cloud Networking
- [Johannes Passing](https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannespassing) \| Cloud Solutions Architect
- [Mark Schlagenhauf](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-schlagenhauf-63b98) \| Technical Writer, Networking
- [Daniel Strebel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danistrebel) \| EMEA Solution Lead, Application Modernization
- [Ammett Williams](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ammett) \| Developer Relations Engineer

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