AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03)Design High-Performing ArchitecturesHard

A large enterprise has hundreds of legacy applications running on-premises that need to connect to new microservices hosted in various AWS VPCs. The enterprise requires secure, high-bandwidth, and low-latency connectivity between its on-premises data centers and AWS, while also simplifying network management and ensuring consistent routing across all connections. Which combination of AWS networking services would best meet these requirements?

  1. AAWS VPN CloudHub
  2. BAWS Direct Connect with multiple Virtual Private Gateways
  3. CAWS Direct Connect with AWS Transit Gateway
  4. DMultiple AWS Site-to-Site VPN connections to each VPC
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C. AWS Direct Connect with AWS Transit Gateway

AWS Direct Connect provides a dedicated, high-bandwidth, low-latency network connection between on-premises and AWS. AWS Transit Gateway acts as a central hub for connecting VPCs and on-premises networks, simplifying routing and management, especially with hundreds of connections, and allowing all VPCs to share the Direct Connect connection. This combination offers the best solution for secure, high-performance, and scalable connectivity with simplified management.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. AWS VPN CloudHub is for connecting multiple on-premises VPNs to a single AWS VPC using VPNs, not for dedicated Direct Connect links or for simplifying connections to hundreds of VPCs via a central hub.
  • B. AWS Direct Connect with multiple Virtual Private Gateways would still require separate VPGs for each VPC, leading to complex routing and management overhead for hundreds of VPCs.
  • D. Multiple Site-to-Site VPNs can be complex to manage for hundreds of connections, don't offer the same bandwidth/latency as Direct Connect, and create a 'spaghetti' network.

Direct Connect with Transit Gateway

A powerful networking solution combining a dedicated network connection (Direct Connect) with a central routing hub (Transit Gateway) to simplify and scale connectivity between on-premises and multiple AWS VPCs.

  • Direct Connect provides dedicated, private, high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity.
  • Transit Gateway acts as a central router for VPCs and on-premises networks.
  • Simplifies network architecture and management for many connections.
  • Enables shared Direct Connect connections across multiple VPCs.

Memory trick: Direct Connect is the highway, Transit Gateway is the interchange.

More Design High-Performing Architectures questions