Published 2022-11-30
Keywords
- Hybrid Cloud, AWS Direct Connect, VPN Tunnel, Network Performance, Latency, Throughput, Cost Analysis, Cloud Connectivity.
Abstract
The rapid adoption of hybrid cloud infrastructures has intensified the need for efficient, reliable, and scalable connectivity between enterprise on-premises environments and public cloud platforms. This study presents a comprehensive performance and cost comparison between AWS Direct Connect and AWS Site-to-Site VPN tunnels to determine their relative suitability for hybrid cloud deployments. Using a controlled experimental setup that simulated real-world enterprise workloads including bulk data transfer, transactional web traffic, and database synchronization the research evaluated both connectivity methods across six key performance parameters: latency, throughput, jitter, packet loss, availability, and cost-per-gigabyte.
The findings demonstrate that AWS Direct Connect consistently outperforms VPN tunnels, achieving 66% lower latency (3.9 ms vs. 11.6 ms), 132% higher throughput (924 Mbps vs. 398 Mbps), and 96% lower packet loss (0.03% vs. 0.87%). Direct Connect maintained exceptional stability with a jitter average of 0.7 ms and an availability rate of 99.98%, whereas VPN tunnels exhibited greater fluctuation due to internet routing dynamics. Although Direct Connect involves higher provisioning costs, it becomes economically advantageous for data transfers exceeding 5 TB per month, achieving nearly fivefold improvement in cost-performance efficiency (CPI) relative to VPN tunnels.
Regression analysis revealed a strong inverse correlation between latency and throughput for Direct Connect (r = -0.82), confirming its deterministic behavior under variable workloads. Application-level evaluations spanning S3 data sync, HTTP web transactions, and MySQL queries further reinforced Direct Connect’s superior responsiveness and reliability.
In summary, AWS Direct Connect emerges as the optimal connectivity model for high-throughput, latency-sensitive enterprise applications requiring predictable performance and cost scalability, while VPN tunnels remain viable for flexible, moderate-load, or temporary hybrid configurations. The results provide a quantitative foundation for network architects and decision-makers optimizing hybrid cloud connectivity strategies in enterprise-scale environments.