Private Paths to AWS, Azure & Google Cloud
Direct Connect / On-Ramps provide private, deterministic network paths between your infrastructure (on-prem or colocation) and hyperscale clouds. Instead of hauling critical flows over the public Internet, you attach via carrier-grade, Layer-2/3 interconnects in a carrier-dense facility for lower latency, lower jitter, predictable throughput, and tighter security.
In the SolveForce Codex, Direct Connect sits at the intersection of 🌐 Connectivity (Grammar) and ☁️ Cloud (Syntax), with 🔒 Security (Semantics) layered on and 🤖 AI (Pragmatics) optimizing traffic and observability.
See: Connectivity • Cloud • Cybersecurity • SolveForce Codex
🧭 What “Direct Connect / On-Ramps” Means (Spelled Out)
- AWS Direct Connect — Dedicated links into Amazon Web Services (AWS) via a private interface (VIF) at a peering location. → AWS
- Azure ExpressRoute — Private connections to Microsoft Azure/Microsoft 365 via a Network-to-Network Interface (NNI). → Azure
- Google Cloud Interconnect — Dedicated or Partner Interconnect from your edge/colo into Google Cloud Platform (GCP). → GCP
Common thread: You extend your network into the cloud without transiting the public Internet. Hand-offs happen in a Meet-Me Room (MMR) inside a carrier-neutral colocation facility via cross-connects. → Colocation
🎯 Why Use an On-Ramp Instead of Internet VPN
Choose Direct Connect / ExpressRoute / Interconnect when you need:
- Deterministic latency & jitter for databases, storage, streaming, or trading workloads.
- Stable throughput at 1/10/100 Gb/s—and regionally 400 Gb/s via aggregated links.
- Reduced egress cost variability (cloud data transfer over private peering often prices differently vs. Internet egress).
- Tighter security posture (no exposure to Internet path volatility; compatible with MACsec/L2 encryption or IPsec overlays).
- Compliance & auditability for regulated flows (finance, healthcare, public sector).
Use Internet VPN (IPsec/SSL) when workloads are light/elastic, bursty, or the site isn’t near an on-ramp metro. You can also combine both (primary private on-ramp + Internet VPN as tertiary failover).
🧱 Architecture at a Glance (3 Steps)
1) Place gear in a carrier-dense colo
Rack your edge routers/firewalls inside a colocation with access to cloud on-ramps and many carriers.
→ Colocation • Networks & Data Centers
2) Order cross-connects to the cloud provider port
Short fiber jumpers in the Meet-Me Room (MMR) connect your rack to the cloud provider NNI/port.
3) Establish BGP sessions & virtual circuits
Configure Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) with provider ASNs and set up virtual interfaces/peering:
- AWS: Private VIF (VPC), Public VIF (public services), Transit VIF (Transit Gateway)
- Azure: Private/ Microsoft/ Public peering (ExpressRoute circuit), often via ExpressRoute Gateway
- Google: VLAN attachments (Interconnect), Cloud Router with BGP
Tip: Treat cloud on-ramps like DCI (Data Center Interconnect): plan redundancy, routing policy, and SLOs the same way you would for a critical DC link.
See: Wavelength Services • BGP Management
🧩 Redundancy Patterns (Best Practice)
- Dual cross-connects (same site) — Two diverse jumpers to the cloud port for local path protection.
- Dual ports (LAG) — Link Aggregation Group (LAG) for higher bandwidth and resilience (provider support varies).
- Dual on-ramp locations — Two different colos/metros for true site diversity (mitigates MMR/facility events).
- Dual providers — Optional: mix carrier A/B for last-mile diversity into the on-ramp building.
Minimum we recommend: Two cross-connects + two cloud ports in a single site; better: two sites with independent providers and per-site BGP.
⚙️ Routing & Segmentation (Spelled Out)
- BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) — Dynamic routing with local-pref, MED, communities, and prefix filtering.
- VRF (Virtual Routing & Forwarding) — Separate private and partner/public routing instances.
- VIF/VLAN attachments —
- AWS: Private VIF for VPC CIDRs; Public VIF for AWS public prefixes; Transit VIF for Transit Gateway hubs.
- Azure: ExpressRoute circuit with private peering into ER Gateway to reach VNets; Global Reach connects ER circuits.
- Google: Dedicated/Partner Interconnect VLAN attachments under a Cloud Router (BGP to your edge).
- CIDR planning — Avoid overlaps between on-prem and cloud VPC/VNet/VPC-SC ranges; reserve blocks for growth.
- Route policy — Pin “golden paths,” tag critical prefixes, and keep a VPN/IPsec tertiary route for emergency reachability.
→ BGP Management • Cloud
🔐 Security Add-Ons (Built-In, Not Bolted-On)
- MACsec (Media Access Control Security) on supported L2 links for hop-by-hop encryption; or IPsec overlays on top of private paths. → Encryption
- Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for users/admins reaching control planes or jump hosts; replaces flat VPNs. → ZTNA • Zero Trust
- Segmentation — Put sensitive flows in their own VRF/VLAN, microsegment inside the cloud with policy engines. → Microsegmentation
- Keys & certificates — Use Key Management / HSM for root-of-trust and workload TLS. → Key Management / HSM
- Monitoring & evidence — Stream logs/metrics/traces to SIEM/SOAR for compliance and incident response. → SIEM / SOAR
📈 Performance & SLO Guardrails
- Latency target (metro on-ramp): often ≤ 2–5 ms one-way from your edge to cloud region border (varies by metro/region).
- Jitter: maintain ≤ 15% of one-way latency for voice/video/data-sync.
- Loss: < 0.1% sustained.
- Availability: design for 99.99% at the on-ramp layer using dual ports/sites.
- Bandwidth: 1/10/100 Gb/s ports; LAG for aggregate capacity; validate bursting/policing rules.
Synthetics: Run continuous HTTP/TCP and layer-3 probes to key cloud endpoints; alert on deltas vs. baseline. → NOC Services
🧮 Cost & Commercial Notes
- Port (MRC) — Monthly charge per on-ramp port/circuit (varies by speed/region).
- Cross-connects (NRC/MRC) — One-time install + monthly fee in the MMR. → Colocation
- Cloud data transfer — Private egress pricing model (often lower than Internet egress, but not zero).
- Diversity — Additional costs for redundant ports, sites, and carriers.
- Term & SLAs — Multi-year terms common; check provider-published SLAs for latency/availability credits.
We’ll model TCO vs. Internet egress + VPN: many customers recoup cost via egress reduction, lower MTTR, and productivity gains.
🛠️ Implementation Checklist (No Surprises)
- Colo presence — Rack space, power, A/B PDUs, structured cabling. → Racks & PDUs • Structured Cabling
- Order on-ramp — Create cloud circuit (Direct Connect / ExpressRoute / Interconnect); pick port speeds.
- Cross-connects — Order fiber pairs in MMR; confirm optics (LR/LR4/ER4/ZR), connector types (LC/MPO), and LOA/CFA.
- BGP & VRF design — ASNs, route limits, policy tags, private/public peering, Transit Gateway/ER Gateway/Cloud Router. → BGP Management
- Security overlay — MACsec or IPsec; ZTNA for admin access; segmentation plan. → ZTNA • Encryption • Microsegmentation
- Synthetics & SLOs — Define latency/jitter/loss targets; add probes and dashboards. → NOC Services
- Failover — Keep IPsec VPN or SD-WAN Internet underlay as tertiary path. → SD-WAN
- Docs & evidence — Save route maps, cross-connect IDs, configs, and as-builts; attach to change tickets.
🏭 Reference Designs (By Need)
- High-trust data & storage sync — Dual-port Direct Connect/ExpressRoute with MACsec, microsegmented VRFs, and Transit Gateway / ER Gateway hubs.
- Latency-sensitive apps — On-ramp in same metro as cloud region; Wavelength or metro fiber back to your DC for single-digit ms RTT. → Wavelength Services
- Multicloud hub — Use colo as a meet-point; private on-ramps to AWS/Azure/GCP; policy routed by BGP with per-tenant VRFs.
- Hybrid user access — ZTNA for users + private on-ramps for app backends; Internet VPN only as tertiary. → ZTNA
🔄 Where On-Ramps Fit (Recursive View)
1) Grammar — Private path = a deterministic rule in Connectivity
2) Syntax — Feeds Cloud migrations, DRaaS, and low-jitter app traffic
3) Semantics — Carries security controls and yields provable integrity → Cybersecurity
4) Pragmatics — Gives SolveForce AI stable signals to predict and steer
5) Foundation — Shared definitions & policies remain consistent → Primacy of Language
Open the full map → 📚 SolveForce Codex
📞 Get a Direct Connect / On-Ramp Design
Related pages:
Colocation • Wavelength Services • BGP Management • SD-WAN • Cloud • Cybersecurity • NOC Services • Knowledge Hub