Streamlining Hybrid Cloud Architecture with Multi Cloud Connect

Tata Communications IZO™+ Multi Cloud Connect is a cutting-edge software-defined interconnect-as-a-service solution engineered to revolutionise multi-cloud connectivity. It empowers enterprises to securely and seamlessly integrate their diverse applications, data centres, branch offices, and various cloud environments, all orchestrated through a unified “single pane of glass” management interface.

The power of hybrid cloud architecture

In today’s complex digital landscape, a hybrid cloud architecture offers organisations the best of both worlds. It strategically combines the robust control, stringent security, and predictable performance of private environments (such as on-premises data centres or dedicated private clouds) with the unparalleled agility, vast scalability, and cost-efficiency of public cloud platforms.

This integrated approach is particularly valuable for large enterprises, organisations operating in highly regulated industries, and those managing significant legacy systems that cannot be entirely migrated to the public cloud. Essentially, a well-implemented hybrid cloud architecture creates a unified, cohesive environment where public cloud resources, private cloud infrastructure, and sometimes on-premises data centres work in concert to support diverse business needs.

The challenge: Complex and unscalable full-mesh connectivity

Our customer, a leading financial services company, had embraced a sophisticated full-mesh hybrid cloud architecture. Their setup included a private cloud spanning both their primary Data Centre (DC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) environments, alongside a public cloud presence primarily leveraging Microsoft Azure. Specifically, their Azure cloud instances in Mumbai and Chennai were interconnected not only with their DC and DR setups but also with each other.

The critical challenge lay in how these connections were established. The customer relied heavily on traditional IPSec tunnels, each offering fixed bandwidth capabilities. While IPSec tunnels provide a basic level of connectivity, a full-mesh topology built entirely on these point-to-point connections quickly became incredibly complex and unwieldy. Imagine a spiderweb of individual tunnels, each requiring separate configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting. As the number of interconnected points grew, the network connectivity architecture became increasingly difficult to manage and, crucially, almost impossible to scale efficiently. The prospect of adding more clouds or expanding existing services in the future loomed as a daunting task, threatening to exacerbate an already intricate networking challenge. This scenario is a common pain point for companies attempting to build a robust Azure hybrid cloud architecture using conventional methods.

Also Read: Transforming an insurer’s cloud architecture with multi-cloud connect.

Tata Communications’ solution: Streamlined connectivity with IZO™+ Multi Cloud Connect VRF

When the customer approached us, seeking a more elegant and scalable solution to their connectivity conundrum, Tata Communications proposed leveraging our IZO™+ Multi Cloud Connect VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) solution. This innovative approach was designed to fundamentally simplify and optimise their full-mesh hybrid cloud architecture topology.

The core of our solution involved a strategic re-architecture of their network. The public cloud instances in Microsoft Azure were connected to the IZO™+ Multi Cloud Connect node via Azure ExpressRoute. Simultaneously, their private Data Centre (DC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) environments were seamlessly integrated into the solution through Tata Communications’ robust MPLS backbone. This design effectively created a central hub – the IZO™+ Multi Cloud Connect node – through which all inter-site and inter-cloud traffic could be intelligently routed. This eliminated the need for a multitude of individual, fixed-bandwidth IPSec tunnels, replacing them with a more dynamic, scalable, and centrally managed framework for multi-cloud connectivity.

Transformative benefits for the financial services company

The implementation of Tata Communications IZO™+ Multi Cloud Connect brought about a multitude of significant benefits for the customer:

• Low latency achieved: Communications between all sites now benefit from an optimised path, ensuring significantly reduced latency.
• Reduced data egress charges: Bypassing the public internet for inter-cloud and hybrid cloud data transfers led to substantial cost savings.
• Future-ready and scalable: The new architecture provides a flexible foundation for growth, allowing for easier addition of new clouds or increased bandwidth.
• Fully managed network: Tata Communications now fully manages the communication network, offloading complex management and troubleshooting from the customer’s IT teams.

Is your hybrid cloud architecture ready for optimisation?

Complex hybrid cloud architectures are indeed common in today’s intricate business and IT environments. If your organisation is grappling with similar challenges – be it managing a sprawling network of IPSec tunnels, facing escalating egress costs, or struggling with the scalability of your Azure hybrid cloud architecture or other cloud integrations – then it’s time to consider a more streamlined approach.

Tata Communications IZO™+ Multi Cloud Connect offers a proven pathway to simplify, secure, and scale your multi-cloud connectivity. Schedule a conversation to gain a deeper understanding of its comprehensive capabilities. Start your trial today!