Hybrid Cloud Connectivity: When MPLS, SD-WAN, and Direct Cloud Links Meet

Hybrid cloud has now turned out to be the most favoured IT architecture among businesses that desire to achieve a blend of performance, security, and cost. It is the ability to connect to the cloud that makes a hybrid strategy effective, not the cloud itself. Regardless of the complexity of the cloud architecture on paper, the right applications running on the wrong network will still not perform to their full potential.

A sophisticated, multi-layered connectivity architecture is the foundation of the most advantageous and efficient hybrid cloud solutions. By strategically allocating MPLS to older traffic, Direct Cloud Links to critical cloud workloads, and SD-WAN to mobile, cost-sensitive apps, businesses can create a network that not only endorses but also genuinely supports hybrid cloud systems. This approach promises the best performance, security, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration of a wide range of IT resources.

This article will describe how to combine these three elements in a clever way to create one very high-performing hybrid architecture.

Defining Roles in the Hybrid Network Fabric

MPLS: The Foundation for Legacy and Voice Traffic

The industry movement towards internet-based WANs has not rendered Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) obsolete; MPLS still plays an irreplaceable part in hybrid cloud interconnection, especially for those workloads that need the maximum Quality of Service (QoS) guaranteed. MPLS gives the highly sensitive and time-critical applications their quality because of its low-latency, extremely reliable, and predictable performance.

MPLS continues to be the mainstay of the value chain for VoIP, for real-time voice communications, and for latency-sensitive legacy applications that are still running in on-premises data centres, and mission-critical disaster recovery traffic that has to be moving seamlessly between the private sites. The previously mentioned use cases depend completely on the engineered, predictable paths of MPLS, which are intended to safeguard the traffic from jitter, packet loss, and unexpected latency variations.

MPLS transport, despite not being the cheapest option for cloud or internet-bound workloads, has its reliability and QoS guarantees as its main advantages, making it acceptable for those systems where performance fluctuations are simply not tolerated. In a hybrid cloud solution, MPLS is still the trusted infrastructure for the foundational, compliance-heavy, and performance-sensitive services that demand utmost consistency.

Direct Cloud Links: The Dedicated Path for Mission-Critical Apps

The effectiveness of the public cloud is directly proportional to the network path that connects it. The public internet usually creates a problem for mission-critical workloads deployed on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud by adding too much uncertainty and risk to application performance. That is the reason why businesses prefer to rely on Direct Cloud Links like AWS Direct Connect and Azure ExpressRoute.

These dedicated cloud connections allow for the existence of private, high-throughput pathways that not only do not share any parts with the public internet but also provide the same qualities in terms of latency, bandwidth, and security—qualities that are essential for compliance and performance-critical workloads. The use of an ERP solution, frequent data replication, AI/ML pipelines, and transaction processing at high speeds all gain from the links that are stable, supported by the providers, and characterised by predictable performance and higher availability compared to the access via the Internet.

The best and the most effective hybrid cloud solutions are based on an intelligent and multi-layered connectivity architecture. Through careful traffic classification and assignment of MPLS to legacy traffic, Direct Cloud Links to mission-critical cloud workloads and SD-WAN to dynamically changing, cost-sensitive apps, the enterprises can create a network that not only supports but also truly empowers their hybrid cloud systems. This approach ensures the best performance, security, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration of a wide array of IT resources.

SD-WAN as the Intelligent Orchestrator and Cost Optimiser

The Dynamic Traffic Steering Engine

The Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is the “brain” of the hybrid cloud connectivity architecture. The main job of SD-WAN is to bring together different links, like MPLS, direct cloud links, broadband internet, and 5G, among others, to create one intelligent overlay network that can automatically optimise traffic flow throughout the whole environment.

The SD-WAN evaluates the real-time performance of every path continuously and examines the metrics for every single path in real time – these metrics are latency, jitter, packet loss, and available bandwidth. On the basis of these metrics, it provides a dynamic and traffic-oriented routing following the business and application policies, thereby allowing the business to get the highest quality and efficient route tailored to its workload.

Let's consider the case:

• The MPLS provides the guarantee of QoS which is very important in the case of real-time voice and latency-sensitive legacy applications.
• Mission-critical cloud workloads are using Direct Cloud Links as their private and predictable connectivity promises.
• In the meantime, non-critical branch traffic and SaaS applications are still using broadband, but they have already managed their expenses without compromising the quality of their service.

By automatically selecting the optimal route and enforcing rules from a central point, SD-WAN not only guarantees synchronisation of application performance but also makes the administrative work easier across different environments. It is indeed like providing the intelligence and automation to combine MPLS, Direct Cloud Links, and broadband into a single, highly efficient network fabric.

Enhanced Cloud Security and Edge Connectivity

The traditional network boundary has vanished due to the fact that organisations are progressively embracing SaaS and public cloud services. SD-WAN is quite significant for the secure connection of remote offices, dispersed users, and cloud edge locations. It guarantees that private data centres and public cloud platforms are always reachable.

SD-WAN treats all locations and users equally regarding security; hence, security is uniform regardless of the location or mode of access. It forms encrypted tunnels through MPLS, broadband, Direct Cloud Links, and also 5G. The entire network is covered by its intrinsic security mechanisms, like firewalls, application restrictions, and zero-trust principles.

SD-WAN is a natural partner to Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), which enables checking for and warding off threats at the network edge in the cloud. SD-WAN not only cuts down on non-productive bandwidth consumption but also hinders the risk of spreading around significant cloud areas and releases the costly Direct Cloud Links or cloud gateways from being the go-through point for all traffic that is not checked and safeguarded before.

In this manner, SD-WAN provides a secure, cloud-ready edge that easily integrates with MPLS and Direct Cloud Links. This results in enhanced performance, reduced costs, and the creation of a hybrid cloud solution that is both scalable and secure.

Architectural Best Practices for Unified Hybrid Connectivity

Leveraging Cloud On-Ramps and Virtual Gateways

MPLS, Direct Cloud Links, and SD-WAN being combined into a single patchwork connection is what the top hybrid cloud architectures do. The combination is made possible by the deployment of cloud-native virtual gateways that function as main access points to all the network throughput.

For instance:

• Gateway for AWS
• Azure Virtual WAN
• Network Connectivity Centre and Google Cloud Interconnect

Connecting Direct Cloud Links such as AWS Direct Connect or Azure ExpressRoute straight into these virtual cloud gateways is one of the best practices. The same hub should then be used to connect both MPLS and SD-WAN networks. This results in a real hub-and-spoke topology, where:

• All branches, data centres, and cloud regions are interconnected by a single cloud edge.
• Sites, clouds, and apps can exchange traffic without going into a roundabout.
• Security, routing, and segmentation are centralised and uniform at all times.
• Operations become simpler, more versatile, and more automated.

By linking all their connectivity areas into common transit gateways, companies are forming a unified, cloud-based core for their hybrid network. The network thus becomes more reliable, faster, and future-proof with the rising cloud usage.

Failover Design and Continuous Path Monitoring

The hybrid cloud architecture of any kind is still liable to experience some form of the natural disaster of being cut off from the cloud. The most sophisticated connectivity systems should also be ready to suffer link disconnections, piercing through the reason why a strategy which has many redundant layers is so crucial. Wireless and fibre optic networks should be connected, and all three paths should be ready for automatic seamless failover—Direct Cloud Links, MPLS, and SD-WAN through broadband.

In such a well-planned setting:

• Direct cloud links would be the predominant, high-speed, and only way to access the cloud environments.
• MPLS would act as the road for the non-stop and best quality of service workloads.
• If both the links (Direct Cloud and MPLS) get disrupted, encrypted SD-WAN VPN tunnels over the broadband can serve as a third safety divorce.

What reinforces the SD-WAN solution is its role in making the overlapping connections effective. As soon as a cloud link is down or becomes sluggish, the SD-WAN system reroutes the critical traffic involving the cloud through MPLS without needing any human intervention. When both connections, Direct Cloud Link and MPLS, are having issues, SD-WAN shifts the traffic through a safe broadband tunnel. Thus, the connection remains alive even though the network is cut off.

Monitoring continuously for latency, jitter, packet loss, and path availability guarantees that workloads will always take the best and the most reliable route. This multi-layered failover solution not only keeps business rolling but also ensures that performance is protected and cloud applications are always available even during unexpected outages.

The effective use of hybrid cloud interconnection is the result of the cunning merging of MPLS, SD-WAN, and Direct Cloud Links over a multi-layered network setting. MPLS is the most reliable base to support both legacy and real-time workloads. Direct Cloud Links offer a very secure and rapid connection to the cloud that carries mission-critical applications. SD-WAN brings together, optimises, and secures the whole environment—dynamically directing traffic over the hybrid fabric according to the business intent.

Individually and collectively, these technologies are the building blocks of a hybrid network that is not just resilient but also cost-effective and high-performance, such that the companies can enjoy all the benefits of hybrid cloud computing.

Companies that are contemplating the threefold advantages of performance improvement, agility increase, and operational complexity reduction should not hesitate to see the cloud investment value with this strategic, multipronged connectivity method.

Would you like to have a smarter and more powerful hybrid cloud network built?

Then get in touch with the Anticlockwise Team today—the planning of a connectivity strategy that focuses on performance, resilience, and long-term success will be done by our experts.