Cloud-based systems bring enormous advantages to broadcast workflows, but they also introduce new risks. Internet outages, regional cloud failures, or high latency can affect live broadcasting. To maintain reliability equivalent to on-prem systems, cloud-native rundown software must implement hybrid redundancy.
Hybrid redundancy means combining cloud redundancy with local resilience. The system ensures that even if the cloud goes offline, local clients or MOS gateways continue functioning with the last known state. This prevents show-stopping failures.
A hybrid redundant architecture includes:
- multiregion cloud deployment
- local client caching
- local MOS gateway state retention
- automatic offline mode
- conflict merging on reconnection
- timing engine duplication
- retry and back-off logic
Cloud multiregion redundancy ensures that if a cloud region fails, another region takes over. This requires global load balancing and replicated data storage.
Local client caching provides a second line of defense. Rundown clients store the current rundown in memory and disk. If the cloud becomes unreachable, clients enter “local-only mode.” Producers can still view timing, reorder items, and read scripts.
MOS gateways also maintain local state. They store the last complete rundown and can continue controlling on-prem devices without new cloud instructions.
The challenge comes when the cloud reconnects. All local changes must be reconciled. This is where CRDT-based merging becomes essential. The cloud merges the local offline edits with the global state.
Hybrid redundancy also includes offline timing continuity. Local clients must continue running their timing engine even if the authoritative server is unreachable. When connectivity resumes, the local timing engine syncs back to the cloud’s reference time.
Hybrid redundancy is not simply about backup servers. It is a multilayer architecture that ensures the show continues smoothly regardless of failures. Falcon Rundown is designed to provide cloud resilience and local fallback, ensuring that broadcasters can rely on the system even during network instability.