What Is Cloud Interconnect?

Cloud Interconnect is a private network connection directly between your on-site network and your cloud provider's infrastructure. You can choose from a dedicated interconnect, with dedicated network lines, where all the traffic on a connection is your organization's. A partner interconnect is where several customers share traffic on a private third-party network line, each with its own dedicated bandwidth. Cloud interconnect can offer predictable network performance, higher security, and better performance in hybrid environments.

Generally, Cloud Interconnect helps overcome performance bottlenecks, improve network resilience, and reduce long-term cloud spend. Explore some of the benefits of Cloud Interconnect.

Predictable network performance

Cloud interconnect solutions offer a dedicated low-latency connection that is free of network fluctuations caused by bandwidth sharing and external factors. Therefore, network throughput, latency, and bandwidth availability are more predictable and consistent for connected workloads. Applications like video conferencing, gaming, and high-volume financial operations can use Cloud Interconnect to provide a disruption-free experience.

Enhanced security and compliance

Organizations benefit from Cloud Interconnect's exclusivity and data security measures. As data passes through a physical direct link or a private software-defined network, the risk of unauthorized interception is significantly reduced. This way, you can access services hosted on the cloud with a private connection. Moreover, Cloud Interconnect provides greater observability in data movement and storage, which allows organizations to meet strict compliance guidelines. These benefits make Cloud Interconnect ideal for highly-regulated industries, such as finance and healthcare.

Cost optimization

Implementing Cloud Interconnect might require an initial investment, particularly for a dedicated connection. However, the cost of resource utilization, data egress, and risk management decreases over time.

Reduced latency

Cloud interconnect provides the shortest path between on-premises and public cloud networks. Instead of passing through multiple third-party switches and servers, computers send data directly to the destination. The time saved can prove significant for high-performing applications such as those that expect real-time or near-real-time responses.

Over the years, organizations have leveraged Cloud Interconnect services as part of their cloud strategy. We share some examples below.

Hybrid cloud deployments

Organizations use Cloud Interconnect to extend their local infrastructure into the cloud environment. This architecture allows organizations to store sensitive data locally to meet data residency laws, while enjoying the cost benefits of public cloud platforms. Additionally, Cloud Interconnects provide a centralized approach to managing geographically dispersed data center locations, which improves operational efficiency. For example, Kambi used AWS Direct Connect to build a hybrid infrastructure comprising several data centers and Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). This allows the company to improve operational efficiency by 50%.

Database replication and backup

Organizations use a low-latency and secure network to replicate and back up information to mitigate data risks and ensure business continuity. This is helpful for data migration that involves massive workloads across local data centers to public cloud environments. For example, Siemens established reliable, high-throughput connections for data replication during its migration of SAP HANA to the AWS cloud.

Enterprise applications migration

Some enterprise applications run on legacy off-premise infrastructure, which accumulates technical debt over time. With Cloud Interconnect, IT teams can simplify application modernization by migrating enterprise applications, along with their dependencies such as databases, over a high-throughput network connection. For example, Fortive uses AWS Direct Connect to migrate its data centres to the AWS cloud, thereby reducing network service delivery costs by 70%.

High-performance computing workloads

High-performance computing workloads, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), big data processing, and animation rendering, can use Cloud Interconnect to ensure predictable response time. Unlike the internet, IT teams can use this scaled bandwidth to accommodate ongoing demand for higher data transfer rates. For example, CoMix Wave Films, a production studio, bridges its unified cloud render tool to local servers with dedicated high-throughput network connections.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a networking technology that creates an encrypted connection over the internet with VPN servers. A computer connects to a VPN server to protect its data from public scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Cloud Interconnect refers to a direct network connection that bypasses the internet while allowing isolated data transfer. When sending data with a VPN, performance is not guaranteed, as other users compete for allocated networking resources. On the other hand, Cloud Interconnect allocates dedicated resources that ensure consistent and predictable network performance. Typically, a VPN is more affordable to set up, while a Cloud Interconnect requires a larger initial investment. A VPN can also be provisioned over Cloud Interconnect.

AWS offers a range of services that help support your cloud and on-premise network connections and requirements.

• AWS Direct Connect creates a dedicated network connection between your on-premise networks and AWS.

• AWS Transit Gateway helps you connect Amazon Virtual Private Clouds, AWS accounts, and on-premises networks to a single gateway.

• Amazon Virtual Private Cloud allows you to define and launch AWS resources in a logically isolated virtual network.

• Elastic Load Balancing allows you to distribute network traffic to improve application scalability.

Get started with Cloud Interconnect on AWS by creating a free account today.