Centralizing and Scaling Hybrid Cloud Networks with AWS Transit Gateway

AMJ Cloud Technologies collaborated with a multinational logistics company to centralize and scale their hybrid cloud network using AWS Transit Gateway. This case study showcases how we reduced network complexity, improved visibility, and enabled scalable, secure connectivity across their global operations.

Situation

The client, a logistics company operating in over 30 countries, managed a complex hybrid cloud environment with over 25 VPCs, 4 regional data centers, and integrations with third-party vendors via VPN. Their infrastructure spanned multiple AWS regions and on-premises data centers, but as the company scaled, maintaining network connectivity and visibility became increasingly challenging. The legacy point-to-point VPC peering and VPN model resulted in a tangled web of connections, requiring excessive time to manage routing rules, handle overlapping CIDR blocks, and troubleshoot issues.

Task

Our team was tasked with designing a solution to meet the following objectives:

• Simplify the network architecture by reducing the complexity of VPC peering and VPN connections.
• Provide centralized visibility and control over routing across regions and hybrid connections.
• Enhance scalability to support the addition of new VPCs, regions, and on-premises sites.
• Enable multicast support for internal applications and integrate SD-WAN for branch office connectivity.
• Ensure a future-proof design to support global expansion into Asia-Pacific and South America.

The project was executed by a team of cloud architects and network engineers over a six-week timeline.

Action

To achieve these objectives, we redesigned the client’s network architecture using AWS Transit Gateway as a global network hub, focusing on simplification, scalability, and resilience:

1. Centralized Hub-and-Spoke Model:

   • Replaced over 50 VPC peering connections with a single AWS Transit Gateway per region.
   • Connected all VPCs and VPNs as attachments to the regional Transit Gateways, creating a hub-and-spoke model.

2. Cross-Region Peering:

   • Implemented Transit Gateway Peering between North America, Europe, and Asia regions to create a globally connected network mesh.

3. Routing Control via Multiple Route Tables:

   • Segmented routing rules using Transit Gateway route tables to isolate dev, staging, and prod environments.
   • Used custom route tables to enforce granular traffic flows between business units.

4. Dynamic Routing with BGP:

   • Integrated on-premises Cisco routers with Transit Gateway VPN attachments using Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).
   • Enabled automatic route propagation and failover between redundant tunnels.

5. Multicast Enablement:

   • Configured native multicast support within the Transit Gateway to support internal update distribution systems and real-time tracking applications.

6. SD-WAN Integration:

   • Integrated the client’s SD-WAN solution (Cisco Viptela) with AWS Transit Gateway via preconfigured VPN.
   • Enabled seamless branch office access to cloud-hosted applications.

7. IAM & Network Manager Integration:

   • Leveraged IAM policies to manage access control to Transit Gateway resources.
   • Enabled AWS Network Manager for unified visibility across global networks, including VPN health, routing tables, and performance metrics.

8. Testing and Validation:

   • Conducted failover tests to confirm automatic routing and high availability during simulated failures.
   • Validated multicast functionality, SD-WAN integration, and network performance across regions.

The team collaborated with the client to monitor metrics during rollout and fine-tuned configurations to optimize performance and scalability.

Result

The AWS Transit Gateway implementation delivered significant outcomes:

• 70% Reduction in Routing Configuration Time: Replaced 50+ peering connections and manual VPNs with a clean hub-and-spoke model, drastically simplifying network management.
• Centralized Visibility into Global Network Performance: AWS Network Manager and Transit Gateway telemetry provided unified insights into VPN health, routing, and performance across continents.
• New VPCs and Sites Connected Within Minutes: Enhanced network agility, enabling rapid application deployments and regional expansions.
• Enabled Efficient Multicast for Internal Applications: Restored functionality for apps relying on multicast, such as software updates and live-tracking dashboards, without costly workarounds.
• Automatic Failover with Dynamic BGP Routing: Reduced downtime risk through dynamic routing and multi-tunnel VPN setups, ensuring high availability.
• Scalable Design Supporting IPv4/IPv6 and Global Expansion: Provided a future-proof architecture with MP-BGP support and flexibility for new geographies.
• Operational Simplicity: Quick implementation with minimal disruption.

This solution has become a reference for AMJ Cloud Technologies’ hybrid cloud networking projects, showcasing our expertise in AWS scalability and network optimization.

Technologies Used

• AWS Transit Gateway: Centralized network connectivity.
• Transit Gateway Peering: Enabled cross-region connectivity.
• BGP with VPN Attachments: Managed dynamic routing and failover.
• AWS Network Manager: Provided global network visibility.
• SD-WAN Integration (Cisco Viptela): Connected branch offices to the cloud.
• IAM for Resource Access Control: Secured Transit Gateway resources.
• Multicast Support: Enabled efficient internal application communication.
• MP-BGP for IPv6 Routing: Supported future-proof networking.
• AWS Global Accelerator (Planned Integration): Prepared for performance enhancements.

Key Use Cases

This architecture is suitable for:

• Multinational enterprises with complex, multi-region hybrid cloud environments.
• Organizations needing centralized, scalable network connectivity and visibility.
• Businesses requiring multicast support or SD-WAN integration for global operations.

Ready to centralize your hybrid cloud network? Contact us to explore how AMJ Cloud Technologies can help.

Key Takeaways

This case study highlights the impact of AWS Transit Gateway in centralizing and scaling hybrid cloud networks for a global logistics client. By replacing a fragmented, complex architecture with a resilient, scalable hub-and-spoke model, we reduced complexity, improved visibility, and enabled rapid expansion. AMJ Cloud Technologies is dedicated to delivering practical cloud solutions for scalable, global hybrid architectures.

Architectural Diagram