What is Azure ExpressRoute and Its Key Features

Azure ExpressRoute is a dedicated, private network connection between your premises and Microsoft Azure data centers. This connection provides a fast and secure path for your data to travel.

ExpressRoute offers a range of speeds, including 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 500 Mbps, 1 Gbps, and 10 Gbps, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.

With ExpressRoute, you can connect to Azure data centers in over 140 countries worldwide. This global reach enables you to deploy Azure services in multiple regions, improving disaster recovery and business continuity.

To set up Azure ExpressRoute, you'll need an Azure account, so log into the Azure portal using your credentials and click on + Create a resource. This is the first step towards deploying ExpressRoute.

To deploy ExpressRoute, search for ExpressRoute in the Azure portal or select it from the Networking tab in the left-hand menu.

After successful deployment, you can configure your on-premises data center to the ExpressRoute created as per your requirements.

Azure ExpressRoute offers multiple connectivity options, including any-to-any (IPVPN) network, point-to-point ethernet network, or virtual cross-connection. This allows for flexibility in how you connect to the cloud.

ExpressRoute provides a private connection between your local network and the cloud, which is made through a private network rather than the internet. This results in low latency, high speed, better reliability, and higher security.

You can choose from a wide range of bandwidths with ExpressRoute, from 50 Mbps to 10 Gbps. This ensures you can scale your connection to meet your needs.

ExpressRoute also supports dynamic scaling of bandwidth without the need to reconfigure connections. This means you can easily increase or decrease your bandwidth as needed.

There are built-in redundancy features in ExpressRoute, which replicate data at multiple points as a failover measure. This ensures that your connection remains stable even in the event of a failure.

Here's a summary of the connectivity options available with ExpressRoute:

ExpressRoute Gateway provides a dedicated and private connection between on-premises infrastructure and Azure resources. This is a key benefit over VPN Gateway, which can improve security and dependability.

ExpressRoute Gateway also offers high bandwidth and low latency connectivity, making it ideal for high-speed data transfer applications. This includes large data processing, video streaming, or backup and recovery.

With ExpressRoute Gateway, you can connect directly to Azure services, eliminating the need for traffic to travel the public internet. This reduces the risk of security breaches and enhances performance.

You can also take advantage of multiple peering locations with ExpressRoute Gateway, allowing you to connect to Azure resources in several regions and countries. This increases flexibility and network performance.

Arelion Cloud Connect for Azure ExpressRoute provides customers with controlled, flexible, and scalable private network connectivity to Azure ExpressRoute locations. This is available with link options of 1, 2, 5, or 10 Gb/s over Arelion's award-winning backbone.

To set up Azure ExpressRoute, you'll need an Azure account, which you can obtain by logging into the Azure portal using your credentials. Click on + Create a resource to begin the process.

You'll need to search for ExpressRoute or select it from the Networking tab in the left-hand menu. Once you've successfully deployed ExpressRoute, you can configure your on-premises data center to the ExpressRoute created as per your requirements.

Before setting up Azure ExpressRoute and Azure VPN Gateway, you'll need to meet certain prerequisites. These include having a subscription to Azure, an Azure virtual network, a VPN gateway in Azure, a VPN device or router that is supported, a connection to an ExpressRoute location, an ExpressRoute circuit from a connectivity provider, and an ExpressRoute gateway in Azure.

The prerequisites for setting up Azure ExpressRoute and Azure VPN Gateway are as follows:

To establish a private and dedicated connection between your on-premises infrastructure and Azure datacenters, you can use ExpressRoute. This provides a more dependable, faster, and secure method of accessing Azure resources.

Azure ExpressRoute offers a range of pricing options to suit different business needs. The monthly subscription charge varies based on the speed requirements of your organization, starting at $55 per month for a 50 Mbps connection.

ExpressRoute also charges per GB of outgoing data, with prices ranging from $0.025 per GB to $0.10 per GB, depending on the zone you're connecting to. This cost can add up quickly, but ExpressRoute also offers an unlimited plan with unlimited outgoing data.

The pricing for ExpressRoute Gateway is determined by tier, amount of data handled, and egress data transfer. It's priced in two tiers, Standard and Ultra, with the Ultra tier providing up to 100 Gbps of bandwidth for high-performance and mission-critical operations.

Here's a breakdown of the ExpressRoute Gateway pricing tiers:

ExpressRoute Gateway is available in all Azure regions and can be deployed in multiple regions for redundancy and disaster recovery purposes.

ExpressRoute offers two main pricing plans: metered and unlimited data plans. The metered plan charges for outbound data transfers, while the unlimited plan includes free outbound data transfers.

The cost of ExpressRoute varies depending on the zone and circuit bandwidth. For Zone 1, which includes the US, Canada, and parts of Europe, the metered plan ranges from $55 per month for 50 Mbps to $6,400 per month for 10 Gbps in the premium tier.

ExpressRoute also offers a standard tier in the unlimited plan, which charges for data transfers from 1 Gbps bandwidth. In Zone 1, the cost ranges from $1,200 per month for 1 Gbps in the local tier to $54,300 per month for 10 Gbps in the premium tier.

Outbound data transfer rates for the metered plan vary by zone, with prices ranging from $0.025 per GB in Zone 1 to $0.14 per GB in Zone 3.

Here's a breakdown of the outbound data transfer rates for the metered plan in different zones:

ExpressRoute also offers an unlimited plan, which includes free outbound data transfers and charges only for the circuit bandwidth. In Zone 2, the cost ranges from ₹3,962.49 per month for 50 Mbps in the local tier to ₹4,61,089.664 per month for 10 Gbps in the premium tier.

ExpressRoute Gateway is available in all Azure regions and can be deployed in multiple regions for redundancy and disaster recovery purposes. It provides a dedicated, private connection between on-premises infrastructure and Azure resources over a Microsoft partner network or an internet exchange provider.

Microsoft has co-location facilities in major cities like Hong Kong and New York where Microsoft Enterprise Edge (MSEE) devices are located, serving as the entry point to the Azure network.

ExpressRoute connectivity providers, such as Comcast and Bell Canada, have partnered with Microsoft to offer private connections to the Azure network.

Companies can use these connectivity providers to connect to Azure without setting up their own connection, saving time and money.

Sprint is another example of a service provider that has partnered with Microsoft to offer ExpressRoute connectivity.