Take Business to the Next Level
You’ve probably heard about Amazon’s development on their VPC, but what exactly is it? The Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a service that allows you to upload Amazon Web Services (AWS) resources into a virtual network defined by you.
If you’ve been involved in data management, this method should be reminiscent of the way you operate a traditional data network in a private data center. It’s pretty much the same but with the added punch of a stable infrastructure given to you by AWS.
Amazon’s VPC is the networking layer for Amazon EC2. EC2 by itself eliminates the need for upfront hardware and investment in physical data centers. To get started with VPC, you should first take a look at this quick introductory guide for this amazing Amazon service. Let’s look at what makes VPC so efficient, and how can it help you achieve your goals in the business world.
How Does it Work?
A virtual private cloud is a non-physical network surrounding your AWS account. Other virtual networks in the cloud have no contact with it, nor do they dabble in its activity. You get your entire virtual universe for data storage, exchange and backups. AWS resources can easily be launched into the VPC, with no hardships or hassle included in the process.
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One big advantage that VPC provides you with is the large number of customization options. You can modify its IP address range, assert subnets and configure anything from route tables to gateways, as well as the complex security setting that you can use to better your business experience. One important element of the VPC is the notion of subnets.
What are subnets? By saying subnet, we intend to focus on a range of IP addresses in one single VPC. AWS resources can be placed on a specific subnet. There is a public and private subnet.
Public ones are to be used for placing resources that require an internet connection, whereas private ones are for content that can be monitored, used or modified offline as well.
Is it Difficult to Set Up?
When it comes to setting up your own VPC, Amazon has created a wizard that will do the initial steps for you. To help you fully understand the creation of a VPC, you should take a look at this guide and the services it provides to you at the beginning. Here’s how to create an actual VPC:
- First, open the VPC console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/vpc/.
- Next up, you should select the region you will be creating the VPC in. Keep in mind that you should maintain the same region throughout the creation process, as a change might cause some slight hiccups.
- Go to the dashboard and start the wizard.
- An array of options should appear; select VPC with a Single Public Subnet and go to the next menu pane.
- This part, the configuration, is the most important. You can select your VPC name and subnet name. Both names are important for you and others to recognize the VPC and subnet in the larger Amazon VPC console and network.
- The VPC will be created after a slightly longer setup process, and you should be set up from that point onwards.
Is VPC the Right Choice for You?
Pros
Amazon uses a unique system to make the data parallel in time and location. This means that AWS deploys subnets into different AZs or Availability Zones. Each of those locations is independent and physically separate, making for a better system of data distribution.
You can cluster the data for high availability. This way, you can replicate data across a multitude of nodes, and switch to a working node whenever the current one goes down. This isolation of data makes for an excellent system of data maintenance. The communication between VPC subnets is also in low latency, which improves the way the entire system functions. Additionally, such a method allows users to ignore faults on their network.
Disaster recovery is much easier. By using clustered data, you allow yourself to start a system-wide replication process. This allows data to be brought up at lightning speed in case of a malfunction. Whether it is a server shutdown or a DDoS attack, you know that your data will be safe and sound.
Amazon VPC has great potential as a test tool. IT pros can test single components of a system by simply hiding other parts of it. Fault tolerance, acceptance trials and many other facets can be tested using a system-wide experiment. Tearing down the entire system just for testing isn’t such a bad idea either.
Cons
Larger organizations might find Amazon VPC as an unsuitable solution due to several components of Amazon’s policy. Big companies love to use their sophisticated high-end routers and network appliances. AWS has no support when it comes to bringing your own hardware.
The network Access Control List (ACL) might be too low-layer of security for some people. It, as well as the security group, uses several incompatible formats. Disagreement is a possibility in this case.
ACL only allows for 18 application protocols, and expanding beyond this can require the deployment of your own software. Again, AWS does not support this.