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Fabric and Cloud Enterprise Design

1. Cloud Deployment Models

Cloud deployment models are defined by infrastructure ownership, access controls, and management.

Deployment Model Infrastructure Ownership & Usage Characteristics
Private Cloud Dedicated exclusively to a single organization with no public access; hosted on-premises or outsourced.
Public Cloud Owned and operated by a third-party provider; accessible to the general public, typically via subscription.
Hybrid Cloud A combination of two or more cloud models (most commonly private and public clouds).
Community Cloud Shared by multiple organizations with common requirements, such as a shared disaster recovery site.

Design Factors: Selection depends on security needs, deployment complexity, and cost requirements.

2. Cloud Connectivity Options

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Cloud connectivity defines how an enterprise network attaches to external cloud environments.

A. Cloud Direct Connect

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  • Concept: A dedicated, private connection directly between an enterprise network and a public cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP).

  • Alternative To: Standard public internet connections or VPN tunnels.

  • Key Benefits:

    • Security: Uses a private connection path, avoiding public internet security risks.

    • Reliability: Provides granular control over uptime and SLA mechanisms rather than relying on unpredictable internet routing.

    • Speed: Delivers higher throughput and lower latency than internet-based transport.

B. MPLS Direct Connect

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  • Concept: Uses an enterprise MPLS network to connect to a Direct Connect Partner (e.g., Megaport), which then bridges traffic directly to the cloud provider.

  • Use Case: Solves connectivity challenges when an organization is located outside a cloud provider's direct connection region.

C. Cloud OnRamp

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  • Concept: A Cisco SD-WAN feature set that automates, simplifies, and secures site-to-cloud connections using a single, unified policy framework.

3. Cisco SD-WAN Cloud OnRamp

Cisco Cloud OnRamp extends SD-WAN fabric policies to public clouds, colocation facilities, and SaaS applications.

Key Benefits

  • Multicloud Automation: Extends SD-WAN fabric into public clouds and colocation facilities directly from branch sites.

  • Unified Security: Enforces consistent segmentation policies on-premises and via cloud-delivered SASE architectures.

  • Consumption Flexibility: On-demand orchestration of network resources across enterprise, provider, and colocation layers.

  • Optimal Application Experience: Delivers visibility into application performance metrics to dynamically improve user experience.

The 5 Core Use Cases

  1. Cloud Interconnect: Automates SD-WAN connection orchestration to MPLS Direct Connect partners like Megaport or Equinix.

  2. Cloud Hub: Enables site-to-cloud workload access and provisions site-to-site WAN connectivity over cloud provider backbones (e.g., Google Cloud).

  3. Cloud OnRamp for Multicloud: Automates deployment of virtual SD-WAN routers (vEdge/cEdge) into transit virtual private clouds (VPCs) and transit gateways (AWS, Azure, GCP) via vManage, automatically forming secure IPsec tunnels.

  4. Cloud OnRamp for SaaS: Uses real-time probing (measuring latency, packet loss, and jitter) to dynamically select the optimal path for SaaS application traffic.

  5. Secure SD-WAN: Integrates with Cisco Umbrella to deliver cloud security features, including DNS-layer security, Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Firewall, CASB, and Cisco Talos threat intelligence.

4. Cisco SD-WAN Cloud Hub with Google Cloud

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Integrates Cisco SD-WAN orchestration directly with Google Cloud infrastructure.

Deployment Options

  • Site-to-Google Cloud: Connects SD-WAN branches directly to Google Cloud workloads.

  • Site-to-Site: Uses Google Cloud's global infrastructure as a high-speed WAN transit backbone to interconnect enterprise sites.

DevOps & NetOps Integration

  • DevOps teams define custom application profiles in the Google Cloud Service Directory.

  • Cisco vManage automatically pulls this application metadata.

  • NetOps teams translate the metadata into automated SD-WAN traffic policies, optimizing performance based on live network telemetry.

Key Advantages

  • Ready-to-Go Network: Speeds up site provisioning using Google Cloud infrastructure automation.

  • Single Console Management: Provision and operate both Google Cloud resources and SD-WAN endpoints via vManage.

  • End-to-End Visibility: Complete operational telemetry across Google Cloud's global backbone.

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