Site-to-Site VPN Connection as a Backup for Direct Connect

Purpose

• Provides a redundant failover path if the primary Direct Connect connection becomes unavailable.

• Ensures continuous connectivity between on-premises infrastructure and AWS during outages.

Redundancy Options

1. Backup Direct Connect Connection
• Maintains high availability and consistent performance
• Higher cost due to additional dedicated infrastructure

2. Site-to-Site VPN Connection
• Cost-effective backup solution
• Uses the public internet with IPsec encryption
• Can automatically handle traffic during Direct Connect failures

Architecture Overview

• Primary Path: Direct Connect from corporate data center to AWS VPC

• Backup Path: Site-to-Site VPN that activates on Direct Connect failure

Best Practice

• Implement dynamic routing (commonly with BGP) to enable seamless and automated failover between Direct Connect and VPN.