Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) has multiple partners who can provide clear network connectivity into FastConnect. FastConnect is the onramp into OCI where you will look to traverse a Layer 1-3 option form your traffic origination to your destination at Oracle. We’ve seen more enterprises take advantage of the Oracle integration to cloud, paving the way for seamless transitions. Often, enterprises are moving workloads from existing public clouds as well or building a split architecture with an app tier in AWS/Azure and the DB tier in OCI. When these use cases occur, customers find themselves looking to FastConnect and building a network component to route traffic easily, with minimal latency and cost.
However, if your background is in cloud ops for example and you have never been exposed in the deep pool of telecom, SD wan or other network carriers, you are not alone. Let’s discuss where we see many organizations regardless of size fall into this area with limited knowledge and how to overcome it.
Oracle Integration can’t be successful without adding the last component which the network. Many traditional carriers are taking the connectivity first approach and see the rising expansion of Oracle Cloud, just read up on Kerri Gilder’s take. She’s the CEO of Colt and has been a visionary in WAN back to her days at Ciena!
3 Mistakes companies make with FastConnect Partners
Mistake #1 – Selecting a FastConnect partner based on price and name recognition. It’s easy to select a name brand first but you truly must understand how it impacts your WAN such as MPLS, IPVPN or SD WAN deployments. Some providers have limitations and reduced services or fees you must understand prior to contract.
Mistake #2 – Limited understanding of how FastConnect and the Dynamic Routing Gateway (DRG) work within OCI. BGP peering is different compared to some other public clouds and one must fully understand how all this works. However, even after you comprehend, just know that some FastConnect partners route and provision differently from each other.
Mistake #3 – Not utilizing an independent firm who is unbiased to offer guidance. At our firm, we will evaluate your OCI regions, ingress/egress requirements and areas such as latency first to narrow down providers. We’ve deployed hundreds of Oracle Cloud FastConnect partners, and each deployment can be a unique use case.
Oracle Integration Cloud
Oracle has several advantages enterprises are taking advantage of which makes a great case for the coming years in the cloud world. More teams are looking to OCI to lift and shift from on-premises licenses to the Oracle cloud. Or, they have built a multi-cloud/hybrid cloud topology resting on OCI’s bare metal infrastructure. This is important to consider networking and configuration between two environments.
Oracle FastConnect Partners
There are two main options routing traffic from outside of Oracle to FastConnect. The first is through a Partner and a list of updated options is here where they are built into the same datacenter as OCI. (Read our Post on Verizon MPLS into OCI) There are still several steps, routing decisions, cost, latency, and other factors to consider before you fire up routing tables. The second option is through a 3rd party which can become a bit more complicated if you have limited experience connecting circuits into 3rd party datacenters.
We HIGHLY recommend you have our team review the topology and providers you are interested in first, so you do not order a circuit which is unusable based on physical limitations for example. See our process below to help you.
Oracle FastConnect 3rd Party Access tips!
Below covers just a few quick reminders/best practices around OCI FastConnect 3rd party orders.
- LOAsmost likely will expire before install. Most carriers deliver circuits in 90 days or less. Your LOA probably has a 30-day limit, uh-oh! Make sure you have updated your LOA otherwise your carrier, not Oracle will most likely reject your order and you will not have a circuit installed.
- Carrier Access Equipment– You & OCI do not have cage space to house 3rd party equipment. Often the carrier will explain they need space to house a NID or a managed router. If that is the cast the order has gone in wrong, and it needs to be fixed.
- Your 3rdparty team most likely has limited experience installing circuits into OCI. We’re not talking the carrier, just your local team and this is where Macronet helps them out a bit. We’ve seen teams place orders to the wrong facility, use incorrect hand-offs and more.
Oracle Cloud Free Tier with Macronet
The Macronet Services approach is unique whereby we have a free tier with Oracle to evaluate and design your network. Here’s how we approach this, and we prefer to engage as early as possible to maximize your desired outcomes.
Oracle announced new Cloud Region in Mexico
Cloud Network Assessment
This process is not painful, and we will identify the following across your network in minutes:
- OCI Region(s) you will connect to too
- Where will your traffic originate from including datacenters, public cloud, remote users etc.
- Bandwidth Speed, Latency & Cost Requirements
- Timeframe to deploy & test.
Recommended Design Options
Following a technical review, we will solicit multiple options from vendors architect teams and provide you with unbiased choices. The format is a technical design, latency projections, install interval and pricing.
Implementation
Installing into Oracle FastConnect is the most challenging not because of Oracle it’s due to the vendor you select and ensuring they are prepared. We will help take this on, bring on the right resources for turnup if needed or an option for a smooth transition. Depending on the provider, some we can help establish a connection in minutes.
Governance
This is the best part! Once you are installed, we can help work with your network vendor on billing, contract renewal, ticket escalation and more. We will cover this during the Design Recommendation process.
In summary, the above are just a few areas to understand and we would love to help provide a quick overview of what is required to connect to OCI. Please contact us so a Solution Architect can evaluate and make a free recommendation.
Happy connecting!