Cloud platform with private network connections between our offices and our cloud network

The general term is hybrid cloud networking: securely connecting your office networks to a cloud VPC/VNet.

Typical options:

• Site-to-site VPN: encrypted tunnels over the internet; often the simplest way to start.
• Dedicated private connection: more consistent bandwidth and performance, usually through a provider or colocation facility.

Cloud equivalents include AWS Site-to-Site VPN / Direct Connect, Azure VPN Gateway / ExpressRoute, and Google Cloud VPN / Cloud Interconnect. (docs.aws.amazon.com)

If you’re looking for a category or product name, try “hybrid cloud connectivity” or “cloud WAN.” If you tell me which cloud platform you use and how many offices you need to connect, I can narrow it down.

The best fit depends on which cloud you already use, so here are the main options.

The three main dedicated options

• AWS Direct Connect links your office or data center to AWS. It is available as a dedicated port or through a partner. It establishes a dedicated network link between your corporate office or data center and the closest AWS geographic region, with a 1- or 10-Gbps handoff.
• Azure ExpressRoute extends your private network to Azure and Microsoft 365. It is useful for companies that rely heavily on latency-sensitive Microsoft applications such as Teams.
• Google Cloud Interconnect is Google's equivalent. Dedicated and partner options are both offered.

Things to plan for

• Encryption: These links are private but not encrypted by default. Dedicated circuits are private but not encrypted at layer 3, so you may need to add a VPN or MACsec on top.
• Cost: One 2026 comparison found that ExpressRoute costs significantly more at every bandwidth tier examined, but that premium includes a bundled redundant pair and a published 99.95% SLA. That source is a vendor-neutral blog, so check current pricing directly with each provider.
• Smaller offices: You may not need a dedicated circuit everywhere. Site-to-site VPN built with native cloud tools is a typical choice for small offices that don't need guaranteed throughput and low latency.
• Multicloud: If you use more than one cloud, AWS Interconnect – multicloud gives you a private, managed Layer 3 connection between AWS and other providers, starting with Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.

My suggestion: Pick the cloud where most of your workloads already live, use its dedicated interconnect for your main offices, and use site-to-site VPN for smaller sites. Add encryption on the dedicated links if your data is sensitive.

To give you a more specific recommendation, tell me:

1. Which cloud you use or are considering
2. How many offices and what bandwidth each needs
3. Whether you have compliance requirements such as HIPAA, PCI, or data residency rules
4. Your budget range

To connect your offices to a cloud network with private, secure, and reliable connectivity, all major cloud platforms offer dedicated services designed to bypass the public internet.

Primary Solutions by Cloud Provider

Each of the "Big Three" cloud providers uses a specific service name for these dedicated, private connections:

• AWS (Amazon Web Services): Uses AWS Direct Connect.
• Microsoft Azure: Uses Azure ExpressRoute.
• Google Cloud (GCP): Uses Google Cloud Interconnect.

How These Services Work

These services provide a physical or virtual private connection between your on-premises office network (or data center) and the cloud provider’s network.

1. Bypassing the Internet: By using these dedicated lines, your data does not traverse the public internet, which significantly enhances security and reduces the risk of interception.
2. Performance & Reliability: Because these are private paths, they offer more consistent bandwidth, lower latency, and higher reliability than standard internet-based VPN connections.
3. Connectivity Models:
   • Direct Connection: You can establish a physical cross-connect from your office or a colocation facility directly to the cloud provider's edge routers.
   • Partner/Exchange Provider: You can use a network service provider (such as Equinix, Megaport, or others) to facilitate the connection. This is often the simplest route, as these providers have pre-established connections to the major cloud platforms.
4. VPN Alternative: If your bandwidth requirements are lower, you can also use Site-to-Site VPN tunnels. These are encrypted connections that run over the public internet. They are easier and cheaper to set up than dedicated lines but do not offer the same performance guarantees.

Which one should you choose?

• Choose Dedicated Interconnect (Direct Connect/ExpressRoute/Cloud Interconnect) if you have high-volume data traffic, require predictable low latency for critical applications, or need to meet strict compliance/security requirements that forbid public internet transit.
• Choose Site-to-Site VPN if you are just starting out, have limited bandwidth needs, or are looking for a cost-effective, secure way to connect smaller offices where performance requirements are less stringent.

Recommendation: Most organizations begin by evaluating their bandwidth needs and checking if their current office ISP or a local data center provider has existing partnerships (e.g., via Megaport or Equinix) with your chosen cloud platform. This can drastically simplify the implementation process.

For private connectivity between your offices and a cloud network, look at the major providers’ hybrid networking services:

• Azure ExpressRoute — extends your on-premises network to Azure over a private connection, typically provisioned through a connectivity provider. ¹
• AWS Direct Connect — establishes a dedicated connection from your office or data center to AWS VPCs. ¹¹
• Google Cloud Interconnect — connects your on-premises network to Google Cloud VPCs through a direct physical link or a supported provider. ⁶

If you’re choosing a platform, the right option depends on your existing cloud provider, office locations, bandwidth and redundancy needs, and which connectivity providers serve those locations. These services generally require a provider or colocation arrangement; for a lower-cost or quicker setup, each platform also offers VPN connectivity.