Hybrid Cloud Routing: When the Data Center Meets AWS

Hybrid routing becomes difficult when two independently sensible networks meet and their assumptions collide.

Map the control planes

Document who originates each prefix, where propagation occurs, and which system owns preference. Transit gateways, VPNs, direct connectivity, firewalls, and on-premises routing all need one shared map.

Design failure domains

Redundancy is not two paths drawn on a diagram. Test whether they share a provider, device, route policy, NAT dependency, or operational process that can fail as one.

Observe both directions

A forward trace is only half the story. Capture return routes, stateful firewall behavior, asymmetric paths, DNS, and application-level health before calling connectivity complete.

Field rule

The hybrid network is one system; operate it with one source of truth and one failure narrative.