Azure Direct Connect Explained with Real-World Use Cases

Azure Direct Connect is a game-changer for businesses looking to connect their on-premises infrastructure to Azure in a secure and reliable way.

By establishing a dedicated network connection between your premises and Microsoft's network, you can reduce latency and improve overall performance.

This is particularly useful for applications that require low-latency communication, such as video conferencing or real-time analytics.

You can also use Azure Direct Connect to transfer large amounts of data between your premises and Azure, making it ideal for data backups and migrations.

Oracle Interconnect for Azure offers private, low-latency connectivity between OCI and Azure regions.

You can connect OCI US East (Ashburn) to Azure East US, OCI Brazil Southeast (Vinhedo) to Azure Brazil Southeast, and many other pairs of regions.

With Oracle Interconnect for Azure, customers can access tested, validated, and supported deployments for packaged, cloud native, custom, and third-party applications.

Deploy Oracle Autonomous Database on OCI and Microsoft Power BI on Microsoft Azure, or deploy Oracle Exadata Database Service on OCI and Microsoft Azure front end.

Here are some specific application interoperability examples:

The traffic between Azure and Oracle Cloud flows directly through the private physical connection with round-trip latency of about two milliseconds.

Technology integration is key to a seamless Azure Direct Connect experience. By using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect and Azure ExpressRoute, customers can build a private interconnection between their OCI and Microsoft Azure environments.

This interconnect enables joint customers to take advantage of a unified identity and access management platform, leading to cost savings. Cloud engineers can set up single sign-on (SSO) authentication between Microsoft Azure and OCI for their Oracle applications.

With a federated SSO, users can authenticate only once to access multiple applications, rather than signing in separately to access each one.

Here are some key benefits of this integration:

You can extend the Azure Direct Connect to multiple cloud providers, including Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), using the Oracle Interconnect for Azure. This enables multicloud connectivity and supports a wide range of use cases.

To achieve this, you can use Azure Virtual WAN, which allows you to extend the OCI-Azure interconnect. Alternatively, you can enable Azure and OCI interconnectivity using ExpressRoute and region peering.

If you prefer a more secure option, you can use a network virtual appliance (NVA) to enable the OCI-Azure interconnect and secure your traffic.

For non-critical workloads, you can establish an IPSec virtual private network (VPN) between your equipment and the Azure cloud, taking advantage of AARNet’s peering relationship with Microsoft. This ensures the connection is encrypted and your data is secure.

Networking use cases are essential for businesses looking to optimize cloud-to-cloud connectivity. This can be achieved through various solutions, such as the Oracle Interconnect for Azure, which enables multicloud connectivity.

Microsoft and Oracle have copublished several solutions to assist multicloud customers using the interconnect. These solutions enable network connectivity using validated patterns.

To extend the OCI-Azure interconnect, you can use Azure Virtual WAN. This allows for a more efficient and scalable way to connect multiple locations.

ExpressRoute and region peering can also be used to enable Azure and OCI interconnectivity. This provides a secure and reliable way to connect your networks.

A network virtual appliance (NVA) can be used to secure your traffic on the OCI-Azure interconnect. This adds an extra layer of security to your network.

Here are some key networking use cases to consider:

Using an IPSec virtual private network (VPN) is a great way to establish a secure connection between your equipment and the cloud. This is especially useful for non-critical workloads.

You can take advantage of AARNet's peering relationship with Microsoft to set up an IPSec VPN. This ensures the connection is encrypted and your data is secure.

By using the IPSec protocol, you can rest assured that your data is protected from unauthorized access.

VLAN Tagging allows for isolated routing domains on a per ExpressRoute circuit basis, but with some key differences between QinQ and Dot1Q.

QinQ VLAN Tagging is a great option for isolated routing domains, and Azure dynamically assigns an S-Tag at circuit creation, which can't be changed.

A unique C-Tag is used for each peering on the circuit (Private and Microsoft), but the C-Tag doesn't need to be unique across circuits on the ExpressRoute Direct ports.

Dot1Q VLAN Tagging, on the other hand, allows for a single tagged VLAN on a per ExpressRoute Direct port pair basis.

Each peering on the port pair must use a unique C-Tag, which must be unique across all circuits and peerings on the ExpressRoute Direct port pair.

Here's a quick summary of the key differences between QinQ and Dot1Q VLAN Tagging:

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a critical component of Azure Direct Connect, ensuring that Microsoft meets specific service standards.

Azure Direct Connect offers a 99.99% uptime guarantee, which translates to less than 5 minutes of downtime per year.

This level of reliability is achieved through Azure's robust network infrastructure and proactive monitoring.

Microsoft guarantees to repair any issues within 15 minutes of notification, ensuring minimal disruption to your business.

This fast response time is made possible by Azure's 24/7 support team and extensive network monitoring capabilities.

With Azure Direct Connect, you can rely on a stable and secure connection to the cloud, allowing you to focus on your business needs.

Azure Direct Connect allows you to create private connections between Azure data centres and your infrastructure, bypassing the public internet for greater reliability and security.

ExpressRoute connections offer faster speeds, lower latencies, and higher security than typical Internet connections, making them ideal for organizations that rely on Microsoft's cloud services.

A direct connection with Microsoft's services can be achieved from anywhere in the world, including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure.

Momentum is an Azure ExpressRoute partner that can assist with designing and implementing your direct connection options, ensuring a seamless integration with your Microsoft cloud services.

Here are some benefits of using Azure Direct Connect:

With Azure Direct Connect, you can gain direct access to all the benefits of Microsoft’s cloud ecosystem, making it easier than ever to connect your business to Azure.

To onboard to Azure Direct Connect, you'll need to enroll your subscription first. You can do this by running the following commands using Azure PowerShell: Sign in to Azure and select the subscription you wish to enroll with Connect-AzAccount and Select-AzSubscription.

Next, you'll need to register your subscription to AllowExpressRoutePorts using the command Register-AzProviderFeature. This will configure your subscription to work with the Microsoft.Network resource provider.

Once enrolled, verify that Microsoft.Network resource provider is registered to your subscription. You can do this by accessing your subscription settings and checking the Resource Providers list. If the Microsoft.Network provider isn't present, add it to the list.

To check the status of your subscription, look for the Registered status next to Microsoft.Network provider. If everything is set up correctly, you're ready to move on to the next steps.

Connecting any network to the cloud is a crucial step in today's digital landscape. With Azure Direct Connect, you can create a fast and reliable connection between your on-premise infrastructure and Microsoft Azure. This connection bypasses the public internet, reducing latency and increasing security.

ExpressRoute allows you to create private connections between Azure data centers and your campus or colocation environment. This means you get greater reliability, faster speeds, lower latencies, and higher security than typical internet connections.

You can choose from various direct connection options, including AARNet Layer-2 and Layer-3 Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections. These options provide bandwidths up to 100 Gbps, making them ideal for large-scale cloud-to-cloud connectivity.

As an Azure ExpressRoute partner, Momentum makes it easy to optimize cloud-to-cloud connectivity between your Microsoft cloud services. They support you every step of the way, from reliable and fast connectivity to simplifying how you manage your services.

Here are some benefits of partnering with a certified Azure ExpressRoute provider like Momentum:

Whether you're looking to connect your campus, data center, or colocation environment with Azure, AARNet can help you choose the right solution. They leverage existing AARNet infrastructure and can reduce costs associated with transferring data between on-premise systems and Microsoft cloud services.