Hybrid cloud networking specifically the actual mechanics of connecting on-premises infrastructure to cloud environments gets discussed less than the broader hybrid infrastructure management conversation, and it deserves its own dedicated attention, because the connectivity layer itself has genuine technical challenges that broader management practices don't address directly.
My position: most hybrid cloud networking problems trace back to the connection between environments being treated as a solved, one-time setup task, when it's genuinely an ongoing architectural concern with real performance and security implications that deserve continued attention as both environments evolve independently of each other, often on different timelines managed by different teams.
VPN vs. Dedicated Connection: A Real, Consequential Choice
Site-to-site VPN over the public internet is the faster, cheaper way to connect on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, and it comes with genuinely variable performance, since it's subject to general internet conditions rather than a dedicated, predictable path. Dedicated connections AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, Google Cloud Interconnect provide considerably more predictable performance and typically better security posture, at meaningfully higher cost and with real setup lead time that needs to be planned for in advance, sometimes weeks or months depending on the provider and location.
