What is Direct Connect in AWS?

Most of the modern IT infrastructure use hybrid application that is deployed along multiple cloud platforms or multiple locations. The typical connection between that environment travels through VPN Tunnel over the public internet. Thus a connection might suffer in case of unpredictable internet connection, latency, or loss of private customers’ data. So a dedicated connection is needed between data centers and offices.

Here comes the Direct Connect in the picture, networking services provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It provides a dedicated network connection over standard Ethernet fiber-optic cable between your data center (on-premises data center) and AWS Direct connect location that completely bypasses the public networks coming in between.

How Direct Connect Works?

Direct Connect works by establishing a dedicated physical connection between your on-premises network and an AWS Direct Connect location, by bypassing the public internet. This physical connection can be established using fiber optic cables or Ethernet etc. After the physical connection setup, a virtual interface (logical connection) between your on-premises network and AWS environment needs to be configured. Once you are done with the configuration of virtual interfaces, you can start using the Direct Connect connection to access services such as managing Virtual Private Clouds (VPC), storage services, and others. You can also monitor the performance and usage of connection using AWS tools and services to track bandwidth utilization etc.

How To Set Up Direct Connect?

The following are steps to be followed to set up a Direct Connect connection to your on-premises network or data center:

• Choose an AWS Direct Connect location closest to your premises or network, you can search for the available location of the AWS Direct Connect portal/website.
• Once you have chosen the location, from the AWS Direct Connect Partners page, you have to select a network service provider that provides connection from your on-premises infrastructure to the AWS Direct Connect location, while choosing a delivery partner keep in mind the bandwidth, location, and other network requirement.
• Provision a dedicated network connection from your on-premises infrastructure to the selected partner’s location, a dedicated network means a physical connection.
• After the physical connection setup, some virtual configurations need to be done.

AWS Management Console -> Direct Connect -> Create virtual interface

1. Log in to the AWS Management Console.
2. Go to the Direct Connect section
3. Create a virtual interface by providing the VLAN ID, routing, and other required details.

After configuring the virtual interface, you can now access the various AWS services such as creating VPC (Virtual Private Cloud), storage and many more.

Direct Connect Component

Connections: Create a communication from your premises to an AWS Region in an AWS Direct Connect location.

Virtual Interfaces: This creates a virtual interface to enable access to AWS services, a public interface that allows access to public services, and a private virtual interface to your VPC.

Benefits of Using Direct Connect

• It provides a connection with high bandwidth and low latency, hence reliability and performance are increased.
• Since a dedicated private connection is established completely bypassing the public internet hence adds to the security of your connection.
• Data transfer over AWS Direct Connect is very cost-effective as compared to using the typical public network.

Costs of Direct Connect

There is no minimum setup fee for AWS Direct Connect, you have to pay for what you use. Pricing is based on three factors:

1. Capacity: It is the maximum rate at which can be transferred through the network, capacity of a connection is measured in megabits per second(Mbps) or gigabits per second(Gbps).

2. Port hours: It measures the time for which a port is allocated for use with AWS, even when do transfer is happening at that time you are charged for port hours, Port hours depend on two factors namely, dedicated connection or hosted connection.

• Dedicated connections: physical connections from your premises port to the AWS network port. These are billed as long as they are allocated for use, you can request for dedicated connection through the AWS Direct Connect section of the AWS Management Console.
• Hosted connections: logical and you can request for hosted connection by directly contacting your Delivery Partner.

3. Data transfer out (DTO): It refers to the total traffic out of the AWS from your network and is charged per gigabyte (GB).

4. Data Transfer In (DTI): Just opposite of the DTO, it is the total traffic received in the network from outside the AWS.

Alternatives To Direct Connect

Apart from AWS Direct Connect, many other companies provide the facility of a Virtual Private Network, various such companies which are comparable and can be considered as an alternative for AWS, are Hostwinds, Cloudways, Aviatrix, etc.

Conclusion

Using the public network for firms using cloud-based storage, for daily movement of data not only costs heavy but there are heavy risks of security and data loss, redundancy, and speed since they have to the network with a large population, in order to add one more layer of security and increased speed in cheaper rates, AWS Direct Connect can be helpful.