In today’s world, businesses are shifting their workloads from on-premises infrastructure to cloud infrastructure to get more agility, cost savings, and scalability. However, connecting to the cloud requires a fast and reliable network. That’s why cloud providers offer private connectivity options like Oracle FastConnect, AWS Direct Connect, Google Cloud Interconnect, and Azure ExpressRoute. In this article, we’ll compare these four connectivity options and help you choose the best one for your business needs.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Oracle FastConnect Overview
- AWS Direct Connect Overview
- Google Cloud Interconnect Overview
- Azure ExpressRoute Overview
- Comparison of Oracle FastConnect, AWS Direct Connect, Google Cloud Interconnect, and Azure ExpressRoute
- Bandwidth and Scalability
- Network Latency
- Service Availability and SLAs
- Cost and Pricing Models
- Network Management and Security
- Conclusion
Oracle FastConnect Overview
Oracle FastConnect is a private network connectivity option provided by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. It offers dedicated, private, and high-bandwidth connections between customer data centers or colocation facilities and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Oracle FastConnect is available in two options: FastConnect Standard and FastConnect Partner.
FastConnect Standard provides a dedicated connection between the customer’s on-premises infrastructure and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. The bandwidth options available are 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps. FastConnect Partner provides a dedicated connection between the customer’s network and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure through a partner’s network. The bandwidth options available are 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, 300 Mbps, 400 Mbps, 500 Mbps, 1 Gbps, and 10 Gbps.
AWS Direct Connect Overview
AWS Direct Connect is a private network connectivity option provided by Amazon Web Services. It offers dedicated, private, and high-bandwidth connections between customer data centers or colocation facilities and AWS. AWS Direct Connect is available in two options: Dedicated Connection and Hosted Connection.
Dedicated Connection provides a dedicated physical Ethernet connection between the customer’s on-premises infrastructure and AWS. The bandwidth options available are 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps. Hosted Connection provides a dedicated connection between the customer’s network and AWS through a partner’s network. The bandwidth options available are 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, 300 Mbps, 400 Mbps, 500 Mbps, 1 Gbps, and 10 Gbps.
Google Cloud Interconnect Overview
Google Cloud Interconnect is a private network connectivity option provided by Google Cloud Platform. It offers dedicated, private, and high-bandwidth connections between customer data centers or colocation facilities and Google Cloud Platform. Google Cloud Interconnect is available in two options: Dedicated Interconnect and Partner Interconnect.
Dedicated Interconnect provides a dedicated physical Ethernet connection between the customer’s on-premises infrastructure and Google Cloud Platform. The bandwidth options available are 10 Gbps and 100 Gbps. Partner Interconnect provides a dedicated connection between the customer’s network and Google Cloud Platform through a partner’s network. The bandwidth options available are 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, 300 Mbps, 400 Mbps, 500 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 2 Gbps, 5 Gbps, and 10 Gbps.
Azure ExpressRoute Overview
Azure ExpressRoute is a private network connectivity option provided by Microsoft Azure. It offers dedicated, private, and high-bandwidth connections between customer data centers or colocation facilities and Azure. Azure ExpressRoute is available in two options: Dedicated Circuit provides a dedicated physical Ethernet connection between the customer’s on-premises infrastructure and Azure. The bandwidth options available are 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, 500 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 2 Gbps, 5 Gbps, and 10 Gbps. ExpressRoute Direct provides dedicated connectivity to Azure’s global backbone network at speeds of up to 100 Gbps.
Comparison of Oracle FastConnect, AWS Direct Connect, Google Cloud Interconnect, and Azure ExpressRoute
Now, let’s compare these four private network connectivity options based on the following factors:
Bandwidth and Scalability
Oracle FastConnect and AWS Direct Connect offer up to 10 Gbps of bandwidth, while Google Cloud Interconnect and Azure ExpressRoute offer up to 100 Gbps of bandwidth. However, Google Cloud Interconnect and Azure ExpressRoute offer more bandwidth options, ranging from 50 Mbps to 100 Gbps. When it comes to scalability, all four providers offer scalability options based on their respective connectivity options.
Network Latency
Oracle FastConnect and AWS Direct Connect offer low network latency since they provide direct connections between customer infrastructure and cloud providers. Google Cloud Interconnect and Azure ExpressRoute also provide low network latency, but they route traffic through their partners’ networks, which can add additional latency.
Service Availability and SLAs
All four providers offer high service availability, with guaranteed uptime ranging from 99.9% to 99.99%. However, AWS Direct Connect and Azure ExpressRoute offer better SLAs for network availability than Oracle FastConnect and Google Cloud Interconnect.
Cost and Pricing Models
Oracle FastConnect and AWS Direct Connect offer a pay-per-port pricing model, while Google Cloud Interconnect and Azure ExpressRoute offer a pay-per-use pricing model. The costs vary depending on the bandwidth, region, and service level required. The pricing for all four providers is competitive, and it depends on the usage and bandwidth required.
Network Management and Security
All four providers offer various network management and security features, including virtual routing, access controls, and encryption. However, Oracle FastConnect and AWS Direct Connect provide more options for network management and security than Google Cloud Interconnect and Azure ExpressRoute.
Conclusion
In conclusion, private network connectivity options like Oracle FastConnect, AWS Direct Connect, Google Cloud Interconnect, and Azure ExpressRoute are essential for businesses that require fast, reliable, and secure connections to cloud providers. Each provider has its strengths and weaknesses, and choosing the best one depends on the business’s needs, budget, and infrastructure. Therefore, businesses should carefully evaluate each provider’s features, pricing, and service level agreements before making a decision.