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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsAzure Multicloud Interconnect is Microsoft’s managed private connection between Azure and supported cloud providers, including AWS in the documented preview. Azure and AWS pair the service with an activation key. Azure virtual networks then reach AWS VPCs through an ExpressRoute virtual network gateway and connection, while Microsoft and the participating provider handle the underlying links, provisioning, health monitoring, and physical-path redundancy.
That managed model is the important distinction: you are not manually stitching an AWS Direct Connect circuit to an ExpressRoute circuit. The preview is nevertheless constrained to 1 Gbps, four documented Azure regions, one gateway connection per interconnect, and no service-level agreement. Those limits determine whether it is suitable for a production design.
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What Azure Multicloud Interconnect for AWS is
Microsoft describes Azure Multicloud Interconnect as “a managed service that provides private connectivity between Azure and supported cloud service providers.” In the current Microsoft documentation, AWS is the supported provider in preview. The service gives workloads in an Azure virtual network a private path to workloads in an AWS VPC without sending traffic over the public internet.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11The Azure side is built on Azure ExpressRoute. You create an ExpressRoute circuit with Azure Multicloud Interconnect selected as the port type, create the interconnect resource, pair it with the AWS-side connection by using an activation key, and attach an Azure virtual network through an ExpressRoute gateway. Microsoft coordinates the provider-side infrastructure instead of asking you to order and join separate cloud circuits yourself.
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This is a connectivity service, not a complete multicloud networking or disaster-recovery product. You still choose address ranges, design routes, configure gateways and connections, set firewall and inspection policy, control access, encrypt workloads when required, and test application recovery.
How the Azure-to-AWS architecture works
1. A managed logical interconnect sits between the clouds
The Azure Multicloud Interconnect resource represents the logical connection. Microsoft provisions it over prebuilt connectivity infrastructure operated with the participating cloud provider. A matching connection is created or selected on the AWS side. An activation key binds the two records.
2. The activation key confirms the intended pairing
One side generates an activation key and the other side redeems it. Microsoft uses the key to confirm that both ends belong to the same customer and request. During activation, the provider, Azure region, bandwidth, and provider account must match the original request. If any value does not match, validation fails and provisioning does not start; correct the mismatch and restart activation.
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3. Azure workloads use an ExpressRoute gateway
An Azure virtual network does not attach directly to the interconnect object. Create an ExpressRoute virtual network gateway, then create an ExpressRoute connection between that gateway and the Multicloud Interconnect circuit. The gateway provides the Azure VNet attachment through which traffic reaches the AWS VPC.
4. Redundant infrastructure is managed below the logical connection
Microsoft states that the service manages provisioning, path diversity, physical-link health monitoring, and failure recovery with the provider. A single logical interconnect is backed by redundant infrastructure and links in physically separate locations. That reduces the need to operate individual physical circuits, but it does not make your application automatically recover. Workload failover, data replication, state handling, and recovery-time objectives remain your responsibility.
Setup: create and validate the connection
Plan the Azure region, AWS account, bandwidth, address spaces, gateway SKU, route intent, and security controls before creating resources. The following sequence follows Microsoft’s documented flow.
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- Create the ExpressRoute circuit. In Azure, create an ExpressRoute circuit and select Azure Multicloud Interconnect as the port type. Select the intended Azure region, AWS provider, and 1 Gbps preview bandwidth.
- Create the Multicloud Interconnect resource. Supply the provider and account information associated with the AWS side. Record the resource identifiers and the activation state.
- Start activation from either side. You can generate an activation key in Azure for the provider to redeem, or redeem a key generated by the provider in Azure. Treat the key as a pairing credential and transmit it only through an approved administrative channel.
- Check every pairing attribute. Confirm that the AWS provider account, Azure region, and requested bandwidth exactly match on both sides. A mismatch stops provisioning before the connection is built.
- Wait for provisioning and inspect health. The service provisions the underlying connection and reports its state. Do not move application traffic until the interconnect and provider-side connection show a healthy, provisioned status.
- Create an ExpressRoute virtual network gateway. Deploy the gateway in the Azure VNet that will use the connection. Gateway deployment time and subnet sizing are separate Azure considerations; reserve the gateway subnet according to Azure networking requirements.
- Create the ExpressRoute connection. Connect the virtual network gateway to the Multicloud Interconnect circuit. Microsoft documents one gateway connection per Azure Multicloud Interconnect, so plan the VNet attachment around that limit.
- Configure AWS VPC routing and controls. Add the intended routes, security-group rules, network ACL entries, and firewall or inspection paths on the AWS side. Ensure return routes point back to the Azure address space.
- Test reachability and failure behavior. Test from representative Azure and AWS workloads, not only from gateway diagnostics. Verify DNS assumptions, MTU-sensitive applications, firewall logs, route symmetry, and the behavior when a redundant path or component is unavailable.
Preview scope, limits, and commercial terms
The following constraints come from Microsoft’s 2026 documentation and can change while the service is in preview.
| Item | Documented preview scope | Design implication |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | AWS | Do not assume another cloud provider is available in the same preview. |
| Bandwidth | 1 Gbps | This is the preview limit, not a measured performance benchmark or a promise of application throughput. |
| Azure regions | Australia East, East US, Germany West Central, and West US | Region availability can change; confirm the current list before committing an architecture. |
| Gateway attachment | One gateway connection per Azure Multicloud Interconnect | Design VNet and gateway placement carefully if several application networks need access. |
| Azure service charge | No Azure Multicloud Interconnect service charge during preview | This is a preview term, not a permanent price guarantee. |
| Azure egress | No Azure egress charge during preview | Provider-side, exchange, gateway, or other network charges may still apply. |
| Service-level agreement | No SLA during preview | Use preview terms in risk reviews and do not claim an availability commitment. |
| Connectivity type | Private connectivity only | Microsoft peering does not apply to this service. |
The absence of an Azure service charge does not establish that the complete design is free. Check AWS, gateway, security, inspection, data-processing, and any third-party connectivity charges for your account and traffic pattern. Microsoft’s preview terms also do not establish a universal cost advantage over customer-managed circuits or a cloud exchange.
Do you need to configure BGP sessions?
You do not manually join an AWS Direct Connect circuit to an ExpressRoute circuit for this managed service. The activation-key workflow and managed provider connection abstract the cross-cloud circuit construction. That is different from a customer-managed design, where your team operates the private circuits and controls the BGP relationships between them.
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Managed provisioning does not remove routing work. You still define which Azure VNet and AWS VPC prefixes should be reachable, prevent overlapping ranges, apply route filters and inspection policy, and verify the forward and return paths. The exact route advertisements and gateway settings depend on your Azure and AWS topology; follow the current service configuration for the selected region and gateway.
Address planning and routing responsibilities
Use non-overlapping address spaces
Choose Azure VNet and AWS VPC CIDR blocks that do not overlap with each other or with networks that may later be connected. Overlap makes route selection ambiguous and can force translation or a redesign. Reserve space for shared services, inspection, management, and future regions before deploying workloads.
Avoid Microsoft-reserved internal ranges
Microsoft reserves ASN range 65515–65520, IPv4 prefix 169.254.255.0/24, and IPv6 prefix fc00:ffff:ffff:ffff/120 for internal use. Do not assign these ranges to your customer routing or workload plan.
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Design the return path
A successful forward route is not enough. AWS route tables, security groups, network ACLs, Azure route tables, and firewalls must all permit the return path. Document the expected next hop for each application prefix and test both directions from actual workload subnets.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Security: private does not mean automatically encrypted end to end
Traffic stays on private connectivity rather than traversing the public internet. Microsoft also states that MACsec is enabled by default on the physical links between Azure and the provider. MACsec protects the link layer, but it does not replace application or workload encryption.
Microsoft’s FAQ says, “You remain responsible for workload-level encryption where your requirements call for it.” Continue to use TLS, IPsec, database encryption, or other controls required by your threat model, regulation, and data classification. Private routing also does not bypass identity checks: apply Azure and AWS access policies, security groups, network ACLs, firewalls, and logging as you would on any other inter-VNet or inter-VPC path.
Resilience: what Microsoft handles and what you must recover
| Layer | Managed by Microsoft and the provider | Owned by your team |
|---|---|---|
| Physical connectivity | Redundant infrastructure, physically separate links, health monitoring, and provider-coordinated failure recovery | Validate that the resulting path meets your risk and latency requirements. |
| Azure and AWS network configuration | Provisioning of the managed interconnect | VNets, VPCs, gateways, route tables, attachments, firewalls, and inspection. |
| Traffic policy | Private transport between the participating clouds | Prefix selection, access control, route intent, filtering, and logging. |
| Application availability | No automatic application failover is promised | Replication, health checks, failover orchestration, backups, and recovery testing. |
Because the preview has no SLA, document a fallback path or a reasoned exception for workloads that require a contractual availability commitment. Test recovery under realistic conditions instead of treating redundant links as proof that every application will continue running.
Alternatives to Azure Multicloud Interconnect
The right option depends on geography, capacity, control, and who will operate the network.
| Approach | How it works | Strengths | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Multicloud Interconnect | Microsoft-managed private Azure-to-AWS connection, paired with an activation key and attached through an ExpressRoute gateway | Simpler provisioning, managed physical diversity, health monitoring, and provider coordination | Preview status, 1 Gbps limit, limited regions, one gateway connection, no SLA, and less direct control over the underlying circuits |
| Customer-managed private routing | Your team joins ExpressRoute with the other provider’s private connectivity and operates the routing design | More control over BGP decisions, traffic engineering, path selection, and potentially broader geography or capacity | Requires advanced networking expertise and ownership of more circuits, providers, troubleshooting, and failure procedures |
| Cloud-exchange provider | A connectivity exchange supplies cross-cloud connections through a shared service; Microsoft names Equinix and Megaport as examples | Can simplify operations and provide a menu of locations and cloud connections | Introduces another provider, commercial contract, operational dependency, and possible exchange or port charges |
For Azure-to-on-premises connectivity, Microsoft recommends ExpressRoute. For Azure-to-supported-cloud-provider connectivity, Multicloud Interconnect is the managed option. Neither statement makes one approach universally cheaper or better. Compare supported geography, required bandwidth, BGP and circuit ownership, traffic-engineering needs, resilience obligations, security controls, and total cost.
Quick Recap
When the preview is a sensible fit
- Your Azure and AWS workloads are in, or can be placed near, one of the documented Azure regions.
- 1 Gbps is sufficient for the expected aggregate traffic and growth plan.
- You want Microsoft and the provider to operate the underlying private connectivity rather than build and join separate circuits.
- Your organization accepts preview terms, including no SLA, and has tested application-level recovery.
- Your routing, address space, security, and gateway design can fit one ExpressRoute gateway connection per interconnect.
When to choose another design
- You need more than the preview’s 1 Gbps bandwidth or a region outside the documented list.
- You require a production SLA before the service exits preview.
- You need fine-grained BGP traffic engineering, multiple independently controlled paths, or specialized routing policy.
- You need a topology spanning several cloud providers, offices, or data centers that the preview does not support.
- Your application recovery plan depends on a second connection, and the one-gateway-connection limit cannot meet that requirement.
Operational checklist before sending production traffic
- Confirm the current Microsoft preview region and provider list for the target deployment.
- Record the Azure subscription, AWS account, region, bandwidth, interconnect resource, and activation-key ownership.
- Verify that Azure and AWS CIDR ranges do not overlap and avoid Microsoft-reserved ranges.
- Document route advertisements, preferred paths, inspection points, and return routes.
- Apply security groups, network ACLs, Azure controls, firewall rules, and workload encryption.
- Measure latency, packet loss, MTU behavior, and application throughput from representative subnets.
- Trigger or simulate a path failure and confirm monitoring, alerting, and application behavior.
- Review preview pricing, provider charges, gateway costs, and the absence of an SLA with stakeholders.
- Write a recovery runbook that covers both network restoration and application failover.
Key facts to retain
- Azure Multicloud Interconnect is a managed private Azure-to-cloud-provider service, and AWS is the documented provider in preview.
- An activation key pairs the Azure and AWS sides; Azure workloads connect through an ExpressRoute gateway and connection.
- The documented preview is limited to 1 Gbps and Australia East, East US, Germany West Central, and West US, with availability subject to change.
- Microsoft and the provider manage underlying redundant connectivity, while you manage network design, policies, encryption where required, and application recovery.
- There is no preview SLA, so production use requires explicit risk acceptance and tested recovery.
- Customer-managed routing and cloud exchanges remain valid alternatives when you need different geography, capacity, control, or operating boundaries.
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