In today’s hybrid IT landscape, organisations are increasingly adopting cloud technologies while continuing to rely on their existing on-premise infrastructure for critical assets like data or for applications with low latency needs. Seamlessly and securely connecting these two environments is essential for hybrid cloud use cases such as on-prem data residency, disaster recovery, application extension and access to shared services.

However, existing methods often route traffic over the public internet, increasing both security risks and complexity.

Introducing IBM Cloud to On-premise connectivity via IBM Cloud Private Path Service

IBM Cloud Private Path Service now enables organisations to securely connect IBM Cloud resources to services and applications hosted in on-premise environments. It eliminates the need for public internet routing by providing private, point-to-point connectivity over IBM’s secure backbone.

Challenges of public connectivity

When organisations attempt to connect cloud and on-premise environments using public networks, they encounter several challenges:

Public Internet Exposure

• Using public gateways or public IP addresses increases the network’s attack surface and requires additional layers of security such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems.

Complex Network Management

• Managing VPNs, NAT gateways, and firewall rules across different environments is time-consuming and demands specialized expertise.

Latency and Performance Issues

• The public internet is subject to unpredictable latency and bandwidth fluctuations, which can impact application performance and data transfers.

Security and Compliance Risks

• Transmitting sensitive data over public networks may result into compliance issues with standards like HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR.

IBM Cloud Private Path: secure point to point connectivity

IBM Cloud Private Path Service addresses the challenges of public connectivity by keeping traffic within IBM’s private network infrastructure. It operates by deploying private endpoints in your IBM Cloud VPC, which serve as secure access points and are not exposed to the public internet.

The service now extends to on-premise connectivity by leveraging IBM Cloud Application Load Balancer (ALB) in combination with IBM Cloud Direct Link. Here are the key steps:

1. Provision an ALB and configure your on-premise endpoints as pool members.
2. Add the ALB to the Private Path Network Load Balancer (PPNLB) as a pool member.
3. Traffic between IBM Cloud and on-premise systems remains private and encrypted over the dedicated Direct Link connection.

Fig 1: IBM Cloud to On-prem connectivity via IBM Cloud Private Path Service

Benefits of Private Path Service for cloud to on-premise connectivity

Leveraging IBM Cloud Private Path Service in your hybrid architecture offers significant advantages:

Enhanced Security

• Traffic stays on IBM’s private network and uses private IP addresses, significantly reducing the attack surface.

Regulatory Compliance

• Avoiding public internet exposure simplifies compliance with industry regulations by ensuring sensitive data is transmitted securely.

Managed Cloud Services Access

• Host managed services on IBM Cloud and enable controlled, policy-driven access to on-premise consumers

Fully managed experience

• Private Path Service provides a fully managed experience, helping customers reduce operational overheads.

Use Cases: When to use Private Path for cloud to on-premise connectivity

Secure, private connectivity between IBM Cloud and On-premise enables a range of hybrid cloud use cases, including:

Hybrid cloud deployment

• Extend legacy on-prem applications with IBM Cloud-based services like AI, analytics, or storage, without exposing any data to the public internet.

Disaster Recovery and Backup

• Replicate and back up critical on-premise data to IBM Cloud via secure, high-speed private links.

Application and Data Migration

• Migrate workloads between environments securely and efficiently with minimal downtime.

Conclusion

IBM Cloud Private Path Service provides a robust and secure foundation for building hybrid cloud environments. By combining Application Load Balancer and IBM Cloud Direct Link, it offers private, high-performance connectivity between IBM Cloud and on-premise systems— eliminating the vulnerabilities and limitations of public network solutions.

Documentation

To learn more about Private Path Service and start implementing them for your business needs, refer to the Private Path Solutions Guide and documentation

#PrivateConnectivity #CloudNetworking #Network #ibmcloud

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Author

@Mukesh Kumar

Senior Product Manager, IBM IaaS Networking