Reply To: Question – multinational investment bank connectivity – DC vs VPN

[Kenneth-Samonte-Tutorials-Dojo]

Hi Tomw,

Thanks for your feedback on this question.

Yes, a Direct Connect connection is more expensive than VPN. And pricing is the main factor for choosing VPN on this question because it asks for a cost-effective solution.

The answer mentions the DC setup cost being high, but this will be different for each organization and there’s no basis for this in the question.

>> Yes you are correct that pricing budgets may be different for each organization. However, generally speaking, a VPN is still cheaper compared to direct connect.

Also, pricing is not the only factor considered in this question. The question already states that the company has a 1Gbps direct connect connection, it is a single point of failure so it needs a backup connection in this the Direct Connect fails. Another detail is the keyword: “addressed immediately” which means can be setup relatively quickly. A direct connect connection may take a few days to a week to fully setup. But a VPN connection can be your backup connection setup in a matter of minutes.

There are several examples on AWS for this cost-effective scenario wherein AWS Direct Connect has a VPN backup connection. This VPN connection acts as a temporary connection until you the main Direct Connect connection is restored.

References from AWS documentation:

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/latest/hybrid-connectivity/vpn-connection-as-a-backup-to-aws-dx-connection-example.html

https://aws.amazon.com/premiumsupport/knowledge-center/configure-vpn-backup-dx/

Hope this helps.

Let us know if you need further assistance. The Tutorials Dojo team is dedicated to helping you pass your AWS exam!

Regards,

Kenneth Samonte @ Tutorials Dojo