Introducing AWS Transit Gateway Connect to simplify SD-WAN branch connectivity

Today AWS announced the availability of AWS Transit Gateway Connect, a new feature of the AWS Transit Gateway that simplifies branch connectivity through native integration of Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) appliances into AWS.

Until now, customers had to rely on do-it-yourself (DIY) approach for deploying SD-WAN solutions in AWS. This DIY approach involves a complex provisioning process of transit VPC VPN connections, which comes with tradeoffs like lack of SD-WAN features supported in the cloud, limited bandwidth, routing limits, increased operational burden, and higher costs.

AWS Transit Gateway Connect offers a native way to integrate SD-WAN appliances with AWS Transit Gateway. Customers can now seamlessly extend their SD-WAN edge into AWS using standard protocols such as Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) through partner orchestration platforms with just few clicks. Transit Gateway Connect provides customers with added benefits such as improved bandwidth and supports dynamic routing with increased route limits, thus removing the need to set up multiple IPsec VPNs between the SD-WAN appliances and Transit Gateway. This simplifies the overall network design and reduces the associated operational cost. Furthermore, Transit Gateway Connect is fully integrated with AWS Transit Gateway Network Manager to provide customers with advanced visibility through global network topology, attachment-level performance metrics and telemetry data.

AWS Transit Gateway Connect is supported by a number of leading SD-WAN and Networking partners, including: Cisco (SD-WAN, ACI) Aruba (HPE), Silver Peak, Fortinet, Versa Networks, Palo Alto Networks (CloudGenix, VM series), Citrix, Aviatrix, 128 Technology, Sophos, Arista Networks, Aryaka and Alkira. AWS Transit Gateway Connect is available in the US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon, N. California), and Europe (Ireland) regions. Support for other AWS Regions is coming soon.

For more information, see the AWS Transit Gateway product page, the pricing page, the partners page, the documentation, the frequently asked questions, and the blog post.