Azure ExpressRoute is a pathway for connections between the Microsoft Azure cloud services and your local infrastructure. The way or path in which this connection occurs is the ExpressRoute. The connection is made possible by a connection provider.
The connection can either be via a point-to-point Ethernet connection or through the universal network. It uses a network connectivity provider to the data center. This ExpressRoute avoids public internet connectivity, so it is safe and reliable.
Azure ExpressRoute works by creating a private connection that is dedicated to you for your on-premises or colocation facility. This ExpressRoute uses a resilient protocol known as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) to create a secure connection between your local network and the Microsoft Azure Cloud.
The ExpressRoute connection contains two Microsoft Enterprise Edge each and two-router connections, which is between the network connectivity provider and the local network premises. It ensures that there is a BGP connection between both networks.
Due to the avoidance of the public internet, Azure ExpressRoute provides you with more dependability, higher security, consistent latency, and faster speeds for your data transfers.
Why is security and pricing important for Azure ExpressRoute?
Security is very important for Azure ExpressRoute as it serves the purpose of ensuring safe data transfers. Same as its pricing. While all inbound data transfers are free, when you use Azure ExpressRoute, the outgoing data transfers come with dedicated fees. Check out the details of the prices.
If you learn how to connect to Azure ExpressRoute, you will find that its connection setup has proven simpler and more direct than most others which may be complex and somewhat difficult to connect. Azure ExpressRoute also has higher scalability.
It is important to protect your data during data sharing and transfers. In this process, it automatically exposes your data. However, when you use Azure ExpressRoute, it creates encryption to protect your data against attacks and other security issues that may be encountered.
Even if there was a breach in security, you are already provided with many other connections, so it won’t affect your data-sharing process and this will allow for an uninterrupted data transfer.
How Does Azure Expressroute Protect Your Data?
Azure Expressroute uses BGP to allow you to extend your local network connections with the Microsoft Cloud. This BGP is strong and it includes an inter-autonomous system configuration, path information, next-hop support, and many more features to give the best protection to your data.
The Azure ExpressRoute also protects data at the Internet Protocol (IP) level or Network Layer 3. This is used to encrypt a two-way connection between your local networks and your virtual network (VNET) on Azure.
· What are the different security features of Azure ExpressRoute?
1. It includes a Layer 3 connectivity.
2. It uses Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), providing a point-to-point Ethernet connection.
3. It has a large bandwidth option. It gives up to 100 gigabit connections.
4.   It is redundant, where each ExpressRoute circuit contains two connections to two Microsoft Cloud edge routers from the network connectivity provider or the user’s network edge.
· How does Azure ExpressRoute compare to other security solutions?
Azure ExpressRoute has more advanced features in terms of security when compared to others. It has private connectivity that is dedicated to you only, so it can only be accessed by you. It also has traffic encryption that aids the protection of data during sharing or transfers.
· How much does Azure ExpressRoute cost?
Azure ExpressRoute pricing is either unlimited or metered. The metered plan may start from $55 depending on your location. This includes 50 megabits per second. As discussed earlier, this doesn’t include a fee for inbound data transfers.
For the unlimited plan, it may range from $300 per month depending on the region. This is also at 50 megabits per second. Here, both the inbound and outgoing data transfers are free.
· What factors affect the cost of Azure ExpressRoute?
1. Region or location
2. Resource Type
3. Services
4. Pricing Models
5. Workload
· How does Azure ExpressRoute compare to other options?
Compared to others, Azure ExpressRoute has more bandwidth capacity. Others have a limited bandwidth capacity. Also, while others have a higher latency, Azure ExpressRoute provides a reduced latency.
Final Thoughts
Azure ExpressRoute is a secure and cost-effective way to connect your on-premises network to Azure. It creates a dedicated connection between your data centers and Azure cloud, providing you with a more reliable way to transfer your data. These connections are established by using a private network connection through a network provider.
By providing a private, dedicated connection to Azure, Azure ExpressRoute can help you protect your data and ensure that your data transfers are always available. When you use Azure ExpressRoute, you can enjoy many advantages that come with it. These include higher security and scalability, higher bandwidth, reduced latency, cost savings, and many more.
