Provision Redundant Connectivity Between Private Networks in the Cloud and On-Premises Environments

Ensuring reliable connectivity between your cloud and on-premises networks is crucial for maintaining continuous operations, especially in multi-cloud environments. Redundant connections minimize the risk of downtime and enhance the reliability for workloads that require high availability.

Best Practices

Establish Redundant Connectivity Between Environments

• Implement multiple AWS Direct Connect connections to ensure high availability and fault tolerance between your on-premises network and AWS environments.
• Create multiple VPN tunnels for redundancy; if one tunnel fails, traffic can automatically reroute to another, preventing disruptions.
• Utilize Direct Connect locations across different geographical areas to minimize potential outages caused by local issues.
• Ensure that your architecture spans at least two AWS Regions, which offers cross-region redundancy and helps maintain service continuity during regional outages.
• Consider using AWS Marketplace appliances for VPN termination; choose solutions that support high availability, and deploy them in separate Availability Zones to mitigate risks associated with a single point of failure.

Questions to ask your team

• Have you established multiple Direct Connect connections or VPN tunnels to ensure there are no single points of failure?
• Are there redundant Direct Connect locations configured to enhance availability?
• How do you manage and monitor your network connections to ensure they are operating optimally?
• Have you planned for redundancy across multiple AWS Regions to mitigate regional failures?
• Are there contingency plans in place for rapid failover in the event of a network disruption?
• How frequently do you test your network redundancy measures to ensure they work as expected?

Who should be doing this?

Network Architect

• Design and implement the overall network topology for cloud and on-premises connectivity.
• Evaluate and select appropriate AWS Direct Connect locations for redundancy.
• Ensure high availability by deploying multiple VPN tunnels or Direct Connect connections.
• Create IP address management plans for public and private IPs across the networks.
• Plan and implement domain name resolution strategies between environments.

Cloud Engineer

• Deploy and configure AWS Direct Connect and VPN solutions.
• Monitor the performance and availability of network connections.
• Assist in setting up redundant instances of AWS Marketplace appliances for high availability.
• Collaborate with the Network Architect to align with best practices for network topology.
• Document network configuration and topology changes.

DevOps Engineer

• Integrate continuous monitoring tools to track network reliability and performance.
• Automate deployment processes for redundant network connections.
• Work closely with the Cloud Engineer and Network Architect to support network configurations.
• Implement backup processes for network settings and configurations.

Security Engineer

• Ensure that network security measures are in place for all connections between cloud and on-premises environments.
• Evaluate security implications of chosen network topologies and redundancy strategies.
• Work with the Network Architect to implement secure communication protocols for VPNs.

What evidence shows this is happening in your organization?

• Network Topology Diagram: A visual representation of the network design showcasing redundant connectivity between AWS Direct Connect locations, VPN tunnels, and on-premises environments, highlighting multiple routes for high availability.
• Redundancy Implementation Plan: A detailed plan outlining steps for provisioning redundant connectivity, including instances of AWS Direct Connect, descriptions of network configurations, and failover strategies in the event of a failure.
• Network Connectivity Checklist: A checklist for verifying that redundant connectivity configurations are in place, which includes items like testing VPN connections, ensuring Direct Connect redundancy, and configuring domain name resolution.
• Disaster Recovery Strategy: A guide detailing how to maintain network operations during outages, including procedures for switching between multiple Direct Connect connections and VPNs, and verifying service continuity across regions.
• High Availability Policy: Documented policies that define the organization’s approach to maintaining high availability for network designs, emphasizing multiple AWS Regions and availability zones to ensure resilience.
• Redundant Infrastructure Models: A set of models illustrating various configurations of redundant infrastructure, including AWS and on-premises connectivity, to help teams understand network layouts and redundancy principles.

Cloud Services

AWS

• AWS Direct Connect: Provides dedicated network connections from your premises to AWS, allowing for redundant connections between private networks.
• AWS VPN: Establishes secure connections from your on-premises network to your AWS VPC, allowing for redundant VPN tunnels.
• Amazon Route 53: Managed DNS service that helps with domain name resolution for redundancy and high availability.
• Amazon VPC: Enables the creation of private networks in the cloud that can connect with on-premises environments.
• AWS Transit Gateway: Simplifies management of network connections between multiple VPCs and on-premises networks for high availability.

Azure

• Azure ExpressRoute: Provides a dedicated, private connection to Azure, allowing for increased reliability and redundancy.
• Azure VPN Gateway: Allows you to establish secure connections between your on-premises network and your Azure virtual networks.
• Azure DNS: Provide thorough domain name resolution services for efficiently managing your DNS infrastructure.
• Azure Virtual Network: Create isolated networks in Azure that can connect to on-premises and other Azure networks.

Google Cloud Platform

• Cloud Interconnect: Provides dedicated, high-throughput connections to GCP, helping establish redundant connections.
• Cloud VPN: Allows you to securely connect your on-premises network to your Google Cloud VPC via IPsec VPN.
• Cloud DNS: Offers scalable and reliable high-performance DNS services for domain management and resolution.
• VPC Networking: Enables the creation and management of private networks on GCP, supporting hybrid connectivity.

Question: How do you plan your network topology?
Pillar: Reliability (Code: REL)