What a cloud on-ramp is
A cloud on-ramp connects your network to a cloud provider through a dedicated or partner-delivered service instead of sending everything over the public internet. Examples include AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute and Google Cloud Interconnect.
The service usually terminates in a colocation facility or network provider point of presence, then connects into the cloud provider backbone.
Connection models
| Model | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated port | You take a physical port into the cloud provider edge. | High throughput, predictable enterprise workloads. |
| Hosted connection | A network partner allocates capacity from its cloud connection. | Smaller bandwidth or faster rollout. |
| Cloud exchange | A platform lets you connect to multiple clouds from one location. | Multi-cloud and colocation-heavy environments. |
| VPN over internet | Encrypted tunnel to cloud over normal internet. | Backup, small sites or lower-cost entry point. |
Routing and segmentation
Most cloud connect services use BGP between your router and the cloud edge. You still need to design which routes are advertised, how traffic returns, how environments are segmented and where firewalls inspect traffic.
Be careful with overlapping IP ranges, shared services networks, DNS, NAT, cloud route tables and transitive routing. Many cloud connectivity issues are design issues, not circuit issues.
Resilience and latency
A single private cloud connection can become a single point of failure. Production designs usually need redundant ports, diverse devices, separate facilities or metro locations, and clear failover testing.
Latency depends on where your workload is hosted, where the on-ramp terminates and whether traffic trombones through a central site. Choose the region and on-ramp location together.
Cloud connect buyer checklist
Sources and further reading
- AWS Direct Connect User Guide
- Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute overview
- Google Cloud Interconnect overview
- TechDirectory: Cloud computing enterprise guide