Introduction
Typically, connecting multiple cloud environments together requires a clunky VPN connection or an expensive SD-WAN solution. In both cases, connectivity is over the Internet. But what if you want the added benefits of consistent latency and performance offered by private connectivity like Azure ExpressRoute and Google Cloud Interconnect? Historically this meant standing up a physical router or routers in a co-location provider's facility, contracting for cross-connects to put it together, and then configuring and managing BGP peering with the cloud providers. This method also means long-term contracts and, depending on your location, may also introduce more latency than it's worth, since all of the data moves through your facility on its journey between the clouds.
With Pureport's Multicloud Fabric, you can quickly and easily connect two clouds together via native private connectivity. This Solution Brief focuses on connecting a Google Cloud Platform VPC (virtual private cloud) to Azure vNet. It leverages each provider's native private network offerings, Google Cloud Interconnect and Azure ExpressRoute, using Pureport Multicloud Fabric as the connection broker.
Geographical Considerations
When planning your deployment, consider geographical distance between your two cloud environments in order to minimize latency. While each cloud provider has many overlapping regions, the naming of these regions may vary. For example, Google's US West 1 is in Oregon, while the Azure West US is in California and West US 2 is in Washington.
You also need to consider which Pureport location is closest to each region. This table describes the best combinations of cloud regions and Pureport POPs, based on location.
| Pureport Location | Azure Regions | Google Cloud Regions |
|---|---|---|
| Ashburn / Washington DC | East US, East US 2, Virginia | US-East4, Northern Virginia US-East1, Charleston, SC |
| Seattle | West US 2, Washington | US-West1, Oregon |
| San Jose / Silicon Valley | West US, California | US-West2, Los Angeles |
| Chicago | North Central US, Illinois | US-Central1, Iowa |
Prerequisites
Before you being, you will need:
- A Google Cloud Platform account with an active VPC
- A Microsoft Azure account with an active vNet
- A basic understanding of how the Pureport platform connects clouds and sites
Putting it together
The steps required to complete connectivity between an Azure vNet and Google public services are outlined below:
- Create a Pureport Network as outlined in Creating a Network.
- Connect your Pureport Network to your Azure vNet:
- Connect your Pureport Network to your Google VPC.
- Ensure that:
- The route for your Azure vNet has been propagated to the Google VPC's routing table.
- The route for your Google VPC has propagated into the Azure ExpressRoute route table.
If not, review steps 2 and 3 to ensure that the Azure ExpressRoute and GCP Cloud Interconnect connections are both up and peered.
- Set the needed security/access rules within each cloud provider to allow the desired network traffic.
That's it! You now have a fully functional, private, multi-cloud network... without deploying hardware, without a multi-year contract, and without waiting months for a private circuit!