Do I need a custom VPC?

Yes for production workloads. While cloud providers create default VPCs, custom design is important for security, network organisation, and compliance.

How do I connect my office to a VPC?

Use site-to-site VPN for encrypted connectivity (cost-effective for most businesses). For higher bandwidth, use Direct Connect or ExpressRoute (dedicated connection).

Can VPCs communicate with each other?

Yes, through VPC Peering or Transit Gateway. Peering is simpler for few connections; Transit Gateway is better for many VPCs.

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Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

Virtual Private Cloud

A logically isolated section of the public cloud where you launch resources in a virtual network you define, with control over IP addressing, subnets, routing, and security.

In-Depth Explanation

A Virtual Private Cloud provides an isolated virtual network within the public cloud, giving you control over your network environment similar to a traditional data centre but with cloud scalability.

VPC components:

Subnets: Segments that can be public or private
Route tables: Rules determining traffic direction
Internet gateway: Enables public internet access
NAT gateway: Allows private resources to access the internet outbound only
Security groups: Instance-level firewall rules
Network ACLs: Subnet-level firewall rules
VPC endpoints: Private connections to cloud services

Design best practices:

Choose an IP range large enough for growth (/16 gives 65,536 addresses)
Create subnets in at least 2 availability zones
Place web servers in public subnets, databases in private subnets
Apply least-privilege security group rules
Enable VPC flow logs for monitoring
Use private hosted zones for internal DNS

Connectivity options:

VPN: Encrypted tunnel to on-premises network
Direct Connect/ExpressRoute: Dedicated network connection
VPC Peering: Connect VPCs within or across accounts
Transit Gateway: Central hub for multiple VPCs

Cloud provider VPC services:

AWS VPC: Most feature-rich
Azure Virtual Network (VNet): Microsoft's equivalent
Google Cloud VPC: Global by default

Business Context

VPCs provide network security and isolation necessary for business-critical cloud applications, ensuring sensitive resources are not directly internet-accessible.

How Clever Ops Uses This

Clever Ops designs and implements VPC architectures for Australian businesses, configuring network security, access controls, and connectivity for secure cloud environments.

Example Use Case

"A financial services company creates a VPC with public subnets for web applications, private subnets for databases, security groups restricting access, and flow logs for audit compliance."