Connectivity Solutions for Remote Branch Offices and AWS VPC

Answer - A.

The AWS Documentation mentions the following.

Providing Secure Communication Between Sites Using VPN CloudHub.

If you have multiple VPN connections, you can provide secure communication between sites using the AWS VPN CloudHub.

This enables your remote sites to communicate with each other, and not just with the VPC.

The VPN CloudHub operates on a simple hub-and-spoke model that you can use with or without a VPC.

This design is suitable for customers with multiple branch offices and existing internet connections who'd like to implement a convenient, potentially low-cost hub-and-spoke model for primary or backup connectivity between these remote offices.

The following diagram shows the VPN CloudHub architecture with blue dashed lines indicating network traffic between remote sites being routed over their VPN connections.

Options B and C are incorrect since this is not ideal for Remote branch offices.

Option D is incorrect since this should be used to connect 2 VPCs.

For more information on VPN CLoudhub, please refer to the below URL.

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonVPC/latest/UserGuide/VPN_CloudHub.html

To establish connectivity between remote branch offices and AWS VPC, several options are available, including VPN CloudHub, AWS Direct Connect (with Public or Private VIF), and VPC peering. Each option has its pros and cons. Let's discuss each of them in detail:

A. VPN CloudHub: A VPN CloudHub allows you to create multiple VPN connections between your remote branch offices and AWS VPC. It provides a hub-and-spoke model where the hub represents the AWS VPC and the spokes represent the remote branch offices. VPN CloudHub uses VPN tunnels over the public internet to provide connectivity between remote sites and the AWS VPC. The traffic is encrypted while traversing the internet.

Pros:

• Easy to set up and manage
• Uses the public internet, which is widely available and inexpensive
• Provides encryption for traffic over the internet

Cons:

• Limited bandwidth and performance compared to other options
• Increased latency due to traffic over the internet
• Does not provide dedicated connectivity or Quality of Service guarantees

B. AWS Direct Connect with a Public VIF: AWS Direct Connect allows you to establish a dedicated network connection between your remote branch offices and AWS VPC. With a Public VIF, you can access public AWS services such as S3, DynamoDB, and others over the Direct Connect connection. Public VIF does not allow access to private resources in the VPC.

Pros:

• Provides dedicated, high-bandwidth connectivity
• Provides lower latency compared to VPN CloudHub
• Offers Quality of Service guarantees

Cons:

• More expensive than VPN CloudHub
• Does not allow access to private resources in the VPC

C. AWS Direct Connect with a Private VIF: With a Private VIF, you can access private resources in your VPC over the Direct Connect connection. Private VIF requires a Virtual Private Gateway (VGW) to be attached to the VPC.

Pros:

• Provides dedicated, high-bandwidth connectivity
• Provides lower latency compared to VPN CloudHub
• Offers Quality of Service guarantees
• Allows access to private resources in the VPC

Cons:

• More expensive than VPN CloudHub
• Requires additional configuration and set up of Virtual Private Gateway

D. VPC Peering: VPC Peering allows you to connect two VPCs together using the AWS network. You can use VPC Peering to connect your AWS VPC to your remote branch offices, provided that your branch offices are also running VPCs on their own private networks.

Pros:

• Provides a private and secure connection between VPCs
• Allows direct access to resources in the connected VPCs

Cons:

• Requires both VPCs to be connected to the AWS network
• Can be more complex to set up and manage compared to other options

Overall, the best solution depends on your specific requirements and constraints, such as performance, cost, security, and ease of management. VPN CloudHub may be the easiest and most cost-effective option, while AWS Direct Connect with Private VIF or VPC Peering may offer better performance and security but at a higher cost and complexity.