Case Study: A large enterprise with a significant on-premises data center infrastructure, planning a major expansion into Microsoft Azure to leverage cloud scalability and agility while maintaining seamless connectivity to their existing environment.
The Challenge: The Organization needed to extend its network into Azure. The key requirements were to design an Azure virtual network architecture that ensured:
- Optimal performance for hybrid workloads.
- High scalability to accommodate future growth.
- Robust security for data and applications.
- Seamless and reliable connectivity between their on-premises data center and multiple Azure regions.
- Efficient communication between different Azure workloads and regions.
Imereda Technologies’ Solution & Approach:
Imereda Technologies, leveraging deep expertise in Microsoft Azure and hybrid cloud environments, designed and proposed a comprehensive network architecture tailored to Organization’s requirements. Our approach was structured to ensure both technical excellence and alignment with business objectives:
- Thorough Assessment: Our process began with a detailed assessment of Organization’s existing on-premises network infrastructure. This included analyzing IP address space, subnets, current security measures (NSG, ASG), bandwidth utilization, performance metrics, and the distribution of various application workloads (web, application, database) across different environments (development, production). This critical first step provided the necessary insights to inform the Azure design.
- Business Value & Cost Analysis: We collaborated with Organization to identify the measurable business value of migrating and expanding into Azure, focusing on areas like cost optimization, operational efficiency, performance improvements, reliability, and scalability compared to alternative solutions. A Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis was conducted to provide a clear financial comparison.
- Skill Readiness Evaluation: Recognizing that successful adoption requires skilled personnel, we evaluated the internal team’s readiness to manage the new cloud environment, identified potential knowledge gaps, and recommended training strategies.
- Stakeholder Alignment: We facilitated discussions to ensure buy-in and support from key stakeholders across the Organization, understanding that their alignment is crucial for project success.
Key Technical Components of the Solution:
Based on the assessment and requirements, Imereda Technologies designed the following architecture:
- Network Topology (Hub-Spoke): A Hub-Spoke model was chosen for its ability to centralize connectivity and shared services (like security and identity) in the Hub Virtual Network (VNet), while isolating different workloads and environments within separate Spoke VNets. This enhances security and simplifies management.
- VNet Segmentation: Within each Spoke VNet, multiple subnets were created to logically organize workloads and application tiers, improving security posture through granular network controls.
- Secure Access: Azure Bastion was incorporated to provide secure RDP/SSH access to virtual machines within the VNets, eliminating the need to expose VMs directly to the public internet.
- Hybrid Connectivity (On-Premises & Azure):
- Azure to Azure: Virtual Network Peering (Regional and Global) was configured to enable seamless, low-latency communication between VNets within the same region and across different Azure regions.
- Azure to On-Premises: A robust hybrid connection was established using Azure Virtual Network Gateway, specifically recommending ExpressRoute with a VPN Gateway failover. ExpressRoute provides a private, reliable, high-bandwidth connection bypassing the public internet, utilizing the Azure backbone, while the VPN Gateway offers a secure, encrypted tunnel over the internet as a backup or for less critical connections.
- Advanced Security:
- Azure Firewall was deployed in the Hub VNet to filter traffic and enforce security policies centrally.
- Network Security Groups (NSGs) and Application Security Groups (ASGs) were implemented at the subnet and NIC levels to control inbound and outbound traffic based on granular rules and application workloads. A process for regular review and updates of these rules was included.
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud was recommended for continuous security posture management and threat protection.
- Scalability & Performance:
- Azure Load Balancers (Public and Internal) and Application Gateway were included for distributing traffic within a single Azure region.
- For multi-region workloads, Azure Traffic Manager (DNS-based) and Azure Front Door (global load balancer with CDN and WAF) were proposed to ensure optimal routing, performance, and security across geographical locations.
- Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) was leveraged to cache web content and improve delivery speed to end-users globally.
- High Availability (HA):
- Leveraging Availability Sets and Availability Zones provided fault tolerance within Azure regions.
- Geo-redundant storage (GRS) or Geo-zone-redundant storage (GZRS) were recommended for cross-region data redundancy and high availability.
- Monitoring & Management:
- Azure Monitor, Network Watcher, Traffic Analytics, and Network Insight were implemented to provide comprehensive logging, monitoring, analysis, and troubleshooting capabilities for the network infrastructure.
- Compliance & Governance:
- The design incorporated measures to ensure compliance with relevant industry standards and regulatory requirements.
- Azure Policies were utilized to enforce organizational standards and governance rules across the Azure environment.
- Documentation & Best Practices:
- All network configurations were thoroughly documented, adhering to network best practices to facilitate ongoing management and future evolution.
Outcomes Enabled by This Architecture:
While this case study represents a solution design capability based on experience, implementing this type of architecture for an organization enables:
- Seamless Hybrid Operations: Reliable and efficient connectivity between on-premises and cloud resources.
- Enhanced Security Posture: Multi-layered security controls protecting workloads in Azure.
- Improved Performance & Scalability: Network design that scales with business needs and optimizes application delivery globally.
- Increased Resilience: High availability and disaster recovery capabilities across regions.
- Centralized Management: Simplified network management through a Hub-Spoke model and comprehensive monitoring.
Let Imereda Technologies Design Your Azure Network:
Navigating the complexities of hybrid cloud networking requires expert knowledge. Imereda Technologies has the proven experience to design and implement secure, scalable, and performant Azure network architectures tailored to your specific business needs.