Canadian application and database hosting
Application services and databases can be designed for Canadian-hosted environments when Canadian residency is a project requirement.
Digital sovereignty
Digital sovereignty starts with architecture.
Canadian hosting and sovereignty-sensitive software architecture, with current practices separated clearly from project-specific options.
Current context
Underlabs has operated Canadian-hosted application infrastructure since 2019.
Precise scope: Client systems may operate across different jurisdictions depending on their requirements and existing architecture. For sovereignty-sensitive projects, Underlabs can design or migrate workloads to Canadian-hosted environments.
The practical definition
Data residency is one control, not the whole answer.
Knowing where data is stored matters. Our guide to Canadian data residency explains how it can also move through backups, logs, analytics, AI and integrations.
The next question is broader: who controls the AI system, including its model, inference, compute, infrastructure and operations?
The Government of Canada’s digital sovereignty framework describes sovereignty as the ability to exercise autonomy over digital infrastructure, data and intellectual property. It extends beyond storage location to operational resilience, system integrity and institutional control.
Explore the architecture
Five layers. One architecture to understand.
Sovereignty is not decided by one choice. Follow the five layers to locate the data, control, deployment, model and compute.
1. What Underlabs does today
Current, bounded practices.
These statements describe current, bounded practices. They are not presented as certifications and do not turn project-specific controls into universal promises.
- Montréal-based engineering
- Ateliers Underlabs Inc. is based in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
- Canadian-hosted infrastructure since 2019
- Underlabs has operated Canadian-hosted application infrastructure since 2019. Canadian-hosted managed application and data environments are available today.
- Dedicated software across the application stack
- Underlabs builds dedicated mobile, desktop, web, back-end and AI-enabled software. Where appropriate, dedicated application and administration software can communicate directly with client back-end infrastructure rather than requiring core operations to depend entirely on third-party SaaS platforms.
- Website data practices are documented separately
- Our website privacy policy identifies the contact-form, hosting, consent and analytics providers visible in the current website implementation.
2. What varies by project
Residency is determined system by system.
Client systems may operate across different jurisdictions depending on their requirements, existing architecture and selected providers. Hosting jurisdiction, database location, external APIs, analytics, AI providers, subprocessors and backup infrastructure are therefore assessed on a project-by-project basis.
- Hosting and data
- Application hosting and database residency can be Canadian or foreign depending on the current system and its requirements. Canadian residency should be specified as a project requirement, not inferred from the Underlabs company location.
- External services
- APIs, analytics, communications tools and other subprocessors can introduce additional jurisdictions and dependencies. They must be reviewed as part of the system boundary.
- Backups
- Backup location, retention and recovery architecture depend on the selected infrastructure and project requirements. Where Canadian residency is required, backup residency is included in the deployment requirements and verified for the selected environment.
- AI processing
- AI provider and processing jurisdiction vary by project. Commercial model services may process information outside Canada, even when the main application is hosted in Canada.
3. Sovereignty-sensitive projects
Controls selected for the actual risk.
The following capabilities can be scoped by project. Availability depends on the system, supplier chain, operating model, budget and contractual requirements. They are not universal controls across every Underlabs engagement.
Move foreign-hosted workloads
Existing applications can be assessed and migrated to Canadian-hosted environments when their architecture and dependencies permit it.
Private, on-premises or customer-controlled deployment
Systems can be deployed into private-cloud, on-premises or customer-controlled environments when greater infrastructure control is required.
Reduced SaaS dependency
Dedicated administration software and direct back-end integration can reduce unnecessary dependence on third-party SaaS platforms.
Portable architecture and open standards
Where appropriate, standard interfaces, portable data formats, documented APIs and replaceable components can reduce proprietary lock-in.
Provider-flexible inference
AI processing is selected according to project requirements. Underlabs supports commercial model providers and can architect sensitive workloads for private, locally deployed or Canadian-hosted inference where required.
Data export and vendor exit
Export formats, recovery assumptions, replacement dependencies and migration procedures can be defined so a provider change does not require rebuilding the entire product.
Canadian-personnel-only operations
Where agreed, feasible and supported by the full supplier chain, Canadian-personnel-only operational access can be specified as a project requirement.
Built in Montréal. Canadian hosting available. Sovereignty-ready by design.
From control to deployment
How can AI run inside your own environment?
A private architecture can place inference in a private cloud, dedicated infrastructure, an on-premise system or a hybrid combination, depending on the data and operational responsibilities.
Explore Private & On-Premise AIStart with requirements
Define what must remain under your control.
Share the data sensitivity, procurement constraints, current suppliers and continuity requirements. We will help separate mandatory controls from preferences and unsupported assumptions.