Connecting Viya in Azure to On-Prem with Azure VPN, ExpressRoute (Intro)

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Many prospective customers are curious about connecting SAS Viya on Azure with their on-premises data sources.  One option is SAS' CDE.  Another option is via Azure gateways.

 

As the above excerpt from the Microsoft Azure documentation shows, Microsoft recommends two different mechanisms for connecting SAS Viya in Azure to on-premises resources:

• Azure VPN
• Azure ExpressRoute

Azure VPN allows for encrypted network traffic between an Azure virtual network and on-premises locations over the public Internet. ExpressRoute offers added security and performance by sending traffic over a dedicated private line. For an informative but non-technical video on VPN and ExpressRoute connections, see here.

Both methods require Azure Virtual Network (VNET) gateways to facilitate communication. (Site to Site VPN connections also require VPN devices configured on premises). Azure VPN gateways are discussed in the Azure VPN link above. Azure ExpressRoute gateways are discussed here. A video discussing Azure VNET gateways can be found here.

Microsoft offers documentation on configuring ExpressRoute and VPN gateways. There are also many youtube videos on the subject.

If you'd like more technical details on how to set up a VPN gateway and other considerations, check out Bogdan's series starting here, How to Connect SAS Viya in Azure to On-Prem with VPN Gateways – Part 1.