Listen to this Post
Introduction:
For years, organizations running workloads across multiple cloud providers have been forced to cobble together connectivity through VPN tunnels, colocation facilities, and third-party network fabrics – a time-consuming, error-prone process that often took weeks or months to complete. On April 13, 2026, AWS announced the general availability of AWS Interconnect – multicloud, a fully managed private connectivity service that establishes Layer 3 connections between AWS VPCs and VPCs on other cloud providers, with Google Cloud as the first launch partner. Traffic flows entirely over private backbones, never traversing the public internet, and provisioning takes minutes rather than weeks. This represents a fundamental architectural shift in how hyperscalers approach interoperability – and a new set of security considerations for teams operating in multicloud environments.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the architecture and security model of AWS Interconnect – multicloud, including MACsec encryption, resiliency, and monitoring capabilities
- Learn how to provision cross-cloud private connections between AWS and Google Cloud (and soon Azure and OCI) through the AWS Direct Connect console, CLI, and API
- Master the security implications of multicloud networking, including IAM least-privilege design, route propagation controls, and cross-cloud identity monitoring
You Should Know:
- AWS Interconnect Architecture: Private Layer 3 Connectivity Without the Heavy Lifting
AWS Interconnect – multicloud provides a managed private Layer 3 connection between Amazon VPCs and VPCs on other cloud providers. Unlike traditional approaches that required managing VPN tunnels, working with colocation facilities, and configuring third-party network fabrics, Interconnect abstracts the physical layer entirely. The service is jointly engineered: on the Google Cloud side, the same capability is available through Cross-Cloud Interconnect.
Key Technical Specifications:
- Encryption: Every connection uses IEEE 802.1AE MACsec encryption on physical links between AWS routers and partner cloud routers. No separate configuration is required.
- Resiliency: Each connection spans multiple logical links distributed across at least two physical facilities. A single device or building failure does not interrupt connectivity.
- Monitoring: Integrated with Amazon CloudWatch, including a Network Synthetic Monitor per connection that tracks round-trip latency, packet loss, and bandwidth utilization.
- Bandwidth: Supports 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps, adjustable from the console without reprovisioning.
- SLA: 99.99% availability up to the Direct Connect port.
- Free Tier: Starting May 2026, each account receives one free 500 Mbps local interconnect per region.
Availability at GA (Region Pairs with Google Cloud):
- US East (N. Virginia)
- US West (N. California)
- US West (Oregon)
- Europe (London)
- Europe (Frankfurt)
Roadmap:
- Microsoft Azure – coming later in 2026
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) – public preview announced May 2026, available in us-east-1
- The open API specification is published on GitHub under Apache 2.0 license, meaning any cloud provider can adopt it
2. Provisioning AWS Interconnect in Minutes: Step-by-Step Guide
Setting up AWS Interconnect – multicloud takes just a few minutes through the AWS management console, CLI, or API. Here’s how:
Via AWS Management Console:
1. Navigate to the AWS Direct Connect console
- Select “Create Interconnect” and choose the “Multicloud” capability
- Select your cloud provider (Google Cloud at GA; OCI in preview; Azure coming soon)
- Choose source AWS region and destination partner cloud region
5. Specify desired bandwidth (up to 100 Gbps)
- Provide your partner cloud project ID (e.g., Google Cloud project ID)
7. AWS generates an activation key
- Enter the activation key on the partner cloud side (Google Cloud console or CLI)
9. Routes propagate automatically in both directions
Via AWS CLI:
Create a new Interconnect - multicloud connection aws directconnect create-interconnect \ --interconnect-1ame "my-gcp-interconnect" \ --bandwidth "1Gbps" \ --location "EqNY5" \ --provider-1ame "AWS Interconnect - multicloud" \ --region us-east-1 \ --tags Key=Environment,Value=Production Generate the activation key (partner-specific) aws directconnect describe-interconnects \ --interconnect-id "dxcon-xxxxxx" \ --query 'interconnects[bash].partnerActivationKey' Monitor connection status aws directconnect describe-interconnects \ --interconnect-id "dxcon-xxxxxx" \ --query 'interconnects[bash].interconnectState'
Via AWS API:
import boto3
client = boto3.client('directconnect', region_name='us-east-1')
response = client.create_interconnect(
interconnectName='my-gcp-interconnect',
bandwidth='1Gbps',
location='EqNY5',
providerName='AWS Interconnect - multicloud'
)
interconnect_id = response['interconnectId']
print(f"Interconnect created: {interconnect_id}")
Get activation key
details = client.describe_interconnects(
interconnectId=interconnect_id
)
activation_key = details['interconnects'][bash]['partnerActivationKey']
print(f"Activation Key: {activation_key}")
Important Constraints:
- IP address ranges of connected networks must not overlap
- Both sides must use the same IP version (IPv4, IPv6, or Dual Stack)
- MTU must match across both sides – different values lead to fragmentation, packet loss, and performance degradation
- Scaling with AWS Transit Gateway and Cloud WAN
For organizations with multiple VPCs in a single region, AWS Transit Gateway provides a centralized routing hub. A single Interconnect attachment connects to Transit Gateway, which handles routing to all attached VPCs. This eliminates the need to create separate Interconnect connections for each VPC.
Transit Gateway Integration Setup:
Create a Transit Gateway aws ec2 create-transit-gateway \ --description "Multicloud Transit Gateway" \ --options AmazonSideAsn=64512 Create a Transit Gateway VPC attachment for each VPC aws ec2 create-transit-gateway-vpc-attachment \ --transit-gateway-id "tgw-xxxxxx" \ --vpc-id "vpc-xxxxxx" \ --subnet-ids "subnet-xxxxxx" "subnet-yyyyyy" Attach Interconnect to Transit Gateway aws directconnect create-transit-gateway-attachment \ --transit-gateway-id "tgw-xxxxxx" \ --direct-connect-gateway-id "dcg-xxxxxx"
For multi-region and multi-cloud deployments, AWS Cloud WAN can be used to build a global network connecting multiple Interconnect attachments across regions and cloud providers.
4. Security Hardening for Multicloud Interconnect Deployments
While AWS Interconnect provides built-in encryption and resiliency, security teams must address the expanded attack surface that multicloud connectivity introduces.
IAM Least-Privilege Design:
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"directconnect:CreateInterconnect",
"directconnect:DescribeInterconnects",
"directconnect:DeleteInterconnect"
],
"Resource": "arn:aws:directconnect:::dxcon/",
"Condition": {
"StringEquals": {
"aws:ResourceTag/Environment": "Production"
}
}
},
{
"Effect": "Deny",
"Action": "directconnect:DeleteInterconnect",
"Resource": "",
"Condition": {
"Bool": {
"aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent": "false"
}
}
}
]
}
Cross-Cloud Identity Monitoring: Cloud identity security requires behavioral monitoring that spans all identity sources – AWS CloudTrail, Azure Entra sign-in logs, Google Cloud Audit Logs, and Okta authentication events – with per-identity behavioral baselines that can surface anomalies across platforms.
Network Security Controls:
- VPC Flow Logs: Enable VPC Flow Logs for all VPCs connected via Interconnect to capture IP traffic information
- Route Propagation Validation: Implement automated checks to ensure only authorized routes are propagated across Interconnect connections
- Encryption Verification: While MACsec is enabled by default at Layer 2, organizations with strict compliance requirements should review specific encryption documentation for their deployment
AWS CLI Commands for Security Monitoring:
Enable VPC Flow Logs for Interconnect-attached VPCs aws ec2 create-flow-logs \ --resource-type VPC \ --resource-ids vpc-xxxxxx \ --traffic-type ALL \ --log-destination-type cloud-watch-logs \ --log-destination arn:aws:logs:us-east-1:account-id:log-group:interconnect-flow-logs Monitor Interconnect state changes via CloudTrail aws cloudtrail lookup-events \ --lookup-attributes AttributeKey=EventName,AttributeValue=CreateInterconnect \ --start-time "2026-06-01T00:00:00Z" \ --end-time "2026-06-30T23:59:59Z" Check Interconnect encryption status aws directconnect describe-interconnects \ --query 'interconnects[].[interconnectId,interconnectState,encryptionMode]'
5. Last-Mile Connectivity: Extending Private Connectivity to On-Premises
Alongside the multicloud announcement, AWS introduced AWS Interconnect – last mile, which applies the same managed provisioning model to connect branch offices, data centers, and remote locations to AWS via participating network providers. Lumen is the initial partner in US East (N. Virginia), with AT&T and Megaport in progress.
Key Last-Mile Features:
- Bandwidth from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps
- Four redundant connections across two physical locations automatically provisioned
- BGP routing, MACsec encryption, and jumbo frames enabled automatically
- No manual planning of redundancy and failover required
- The Open Specification: A New Standard for Cloud Interoperability
AWS has published the Interconnect API specification on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license. This open specification means any cloud provider can adopt the standard by meeting AWS operational requirements. This is significant because it creates a unified, consistent experience for customers regardless of which cloud providers they use. Microsoft Azure takes a different approach – ExpressRoute provides private connectivity to Microsoft cloud, but cross-cloud connections to AWS or Google Cloud still require customer-managed routing via colocation facilities or third-party providers like Megaport or Equinix. This makes the AWS-Google collaboration notable: it is the first jointly engineered, fully managed multicloud interconnect between two of the three major hyperscalers.
What Undercode Say:
- Key Takeaway 1: AWS Interconnect – multicloud eliminates the weeks-long, error-prone process of setting up cross-cloud connectivity. The ability to provision private Layer 3 connections in minutes through the AWS Direct Connect console, CLI, or API represents a fundamental shift in cloud networking. Organizations no longer need to manage VPN tunnels, colocation arrangements, or third-party network fabrics. The free 500 Mbps local interconnect per region further lowers the barrier to entry.
-
Key Takeaway 2: Security is built in by default with MACsec encryption on physical links, but security teams must adapt their monitoring and IAM strategies for the multicloud era. The expanded attack surface requires cross-cloud identity behavioral monitoring, least-privilege IAM design, and continuous validation of route propagation and encryption status. Organizations should treat Interconnect attachments as critical infrastructure and apply the same rigorous security controls they use for other network boundaries.
The open API specification published under Apache 2.0 is a game-changer. By enabling any cloud provider to adopt the standard, AWS is moving toward a future where multicloud connectivity is as straightforward as provisioning any other managed service. This reduces vendor lock-in and gives organizations true flexibility to choose the best cloud services for each workload without sacrificing network performance or security. However, this also means security teams must prepare for a more complex identity and access management landscape – one where threats can originate from any cloud environment and traverse private backbones undetected by traditional perimeter defenses.
Prediction:
- +1 AWS Interconnect will accelerate multicloud adoption significantly. With 89% of enterprises already adopting multicloud strategies (up from 76% in 2024), the ability to provision private, secure connections in minutes rather than weeks will remove one of the last major friction points for distributed cloud architectures. Expect multicloud deployments to become the default enterprise architecture by 2027.
-
+1 The open specification model will pressure other cloud providers to adopt similar interoperability standards. Microsoft Azure will likely need to evolve its ExpressRoute approach to support native managed interconnects with AWS and GCP, rather than relying on third-party providers or colocation facilities. This will create a more competitive and interconnected cloud ecosystem.
-
-1 Security incidents involving multicloud interconnects are inevitable. The expanded attack surface, combined with the complexity of managing identity across multiple cloud providers, will create new vectors for attackers. Organizations that fail to implement cross-cloud behavioral monitoring, least-privilege IAM, and continuous encryption verification will be vulnerable. Expect the first major multicloud interconnect breach within 12-18 months, with breach costs potentially exceeding the $5.05M average for multicloud environments.
-
-1 The complexity of managing IP address overlaps, MTU mismatches, and route propagation across multiple clouds will create operational challenges. Organizations will need to invest in new skills and tools to manage these hybrid networks effectively. Teams that treat Interconnect as “set it and forget it” will face performance degradation, routing issues, and security gaps.
▶️ Related Video (76% Match):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LqOi2gR8jY
🎯Let’s Practice For Free:
🎓 Live Courses & Certifications:
Join Undercode Academy for Verified Certifications
🚀 Request a Custom Project:
Secure, high-velocity infrastructure and disruptive technological engineering. Contact our engineering team for high-tier development and proprietary systems:
[email protected]
💎 Smart Architecture | 🛡️ Secure by Design | ⭐ Trusted by Thousands
IT/Security Reporter URL:
Reported By: Markolauren Multicloud – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
