Secure Your Communication in Hybrid Infrastructure using AWS Direct Connect

Introduction

As the importance and demand for cloud services continue to grow, we are witnessing a surge in adopting hybrid solutions and DevOps pipelines to facilitate their deployment. Particularly in complex scenarios, such as those preferred by pharmaceutical and financial organizations, safeguarding sensitive business information drives the choice for hybrid architectures. While public cloud security measures have significantly advanced, these entities often adhere to stringent policies that mandate retaining sensitive data within their purview.

To address communication challenges within hybrid architectures, native AWS secure connectivity options emerge. Among these, prominent choices include Site-to-Site VPN and AWS Direct Connect.

In this discussion, we will explore the specifics of AWS Direct Connect.

Connectivity and Architecture

AWS Direct Connect can help provide stable, reliable, lesser bandwidth communication as we communicate over leased dedicated lines instead of the internet as in a site-to-site VPN connection.
Dedicated physical wires are laid for communication from AWS availability zones to the DX connection location to the on-premises data center.

The physical resources shown below are:

1. AWS region
2. DX connection location
3. On-premises data center

Virtual Interface and AWS Direct Connect Gateway

A crucial element, the virtual interface facilitates the connection between your on-premises data center and the AWS environment. It serves as a conduit for data transfer and can be configured to provide private and public connectivity.

• Private Resources: Private resources within Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), such as Amazon EC2 instances, Amazon RDS databases, and Amazon EKS clusters, can be accessed securely using a private virtual interface.
• Public Resources: A public virtual interface enables secure communication for interaction with global AWS services like Amazon S3.
• Direct Connect Gateway: This gateway enhances the connectivity scope. It facilitates connections to multiple Virtual Private Gateways and Transit Gateways, enabling seamless communication across different network environments.

Enhancing Security and Compliance

By adopting AWS Direct Connect, organizations can fortify their hybrid infrastructures in several ways:

• Data Security: AWS Direct Connect ensures that sensitive data does not traverse the public internet, minimizing exposure to potential threats and attacks.
• Compliance Adherence: AWS Direct Connect offers a reliable solution for maintaining data integrity and meeting regulatory standards for industries with stringent compliance requirements, such as healthcare and finance.
• Consistent Performance: The dedicated nature of the connection guarantees consistent network performance, which is vital for applications that demand low latency and high availability.
• Reduced Attack Surface: By reducing the points of entry for unauthorized access, AWS Direct Connect reduces the attack surface, enhancing overall security posture.

AWS Direct Connect Locations

The physical locations that AWS offers allow you to create specialized network connections between your on-premises equipment and AWS.

These areas are located in well-chosen big cities all across the world.

You can extend your network into the AWS Cloud by connecting to these places while keeping a dependable and low-latency connection for various applications and services.

Redundancy and High Availability

• Maximum Resiliency: To attain the utmost resilience for vital workloads, you can opt for distinct connections that conclude on separate equipment in multiple locations. This configuration guarantees resilience against equipment, connectivity, and full-location outages.
• High Resiliency: High resiliency can be achieved for crucial workloads by employing two individual connections passing through various locations. This setup safeguards against connectivity issues arising from incidents like fiber cuts or device malfunctions and helps avert full-location failures.
• Development and Test: For non-critical workloads in development and testing scenarios, you can secure resiliency by employing separate connections terminating on distinct devices in a single location. While this design guards against device failures, it doesn’t shield against location-wide failures.

Conclusion

Drop a query if you have any questions regarding AWS Direct Connect and we will get back to you quickly.

About CloudThat

CloudThat is an official AWS (Amazon Web Services) Advanced Consulting Partner and Training partner, AWS Migration Partner, AWS Data and Analytics Partner, AWS DevOps Competency Partner, Amazon QuickSight Service Delivery Partner, AWS EKS Service Delivery Partner, and Microsoft Gold Partner, helping people develop knowledge of the cloud and help their businesses aim for higher goals using best-in-industry cloud computing practices and expertise. We are on a mission to build a robust cloud computing ecosystem by disseminating knowledge on technological intricacies within the cloud space. Our blogs, webinars, case studies, and white papers enable all the stakeholders in the cloud computing sphere.

To get started, go through our Consultancy page and Managed Services Package, CloudThat’s offerings.