The App Delivery Fabric with Secure Multicloud Networking

Introduction

Secure Multicloud Networking (MCN) is an approach for connecting applications across different cloud providers that emphasizes security to create a robust, scalable, and cost-effective infrastructure. With an increase in complexity and the potential for security risks due to disparate security measures, businesses face the challenge of maintaining a secure and uniform environment across multiple clouds.

By using F5 Distributed Cloud services (XC), customers can gain consistency and greatly simplified approach to configuring the networking and security services via a single centralized SaaS Console or API automation.

This article is the second in a series that shows how an App Delivery Fabric can be quickly implemented by connecting F5 Customer Edge (CE) sites deployed in different public clouds and then configured to use a consistent Web App & API Protection (WAAP) policy to all application services via a centralized console.

Scenario

A common task for businesses is the need to connect one app to another or integrate app services that may be running in different environments. A customer may have different developer teams or lines of business that target different cloud providers, or onboard new apps or services or extend an existing app with new services, all of which necessitate a secure connection between different clouds.

In this scenario a customer has a core application (represented by a Product Page) running on AWS and a separate app microservice (represented by Product Detail) deployed on Azure. This guide focuses on establishing secure app-to-app Multicloud Networking (MCN) connectivity between these two environments by way of XC CE running on each cloud.

First, the guide below in GitHub walks through deploying XC CE instances in multiple clouds, including setting up app infrastructure and services. Second, the steps for configuring Load Balancers (LBs), advertising options, and Web Application Firewall (WAF) settings ensures secure networking for completing the app delivery fabric.

The key takeaway is the efficiency and speed of MCN connectivity, enabling seamless communication between apps, regardless of their runtime location, all managed through the unified solution provided by F5 Distributed Cloud.

App Delivery Fabric (Secure Multicloud Networking) - GitHub

Conclusion

F5 Distributed Cloud serves as the central solution for managing MCN and security across diverse cloud environments. Whether your apps run in AWS, Azure, or other public clouds, the F5 Customer Edge deployments enable rapid configuration of multicloud networking, and secure connectivity of applications with consistent policies. This unified approach simplifies management, reduces complexity, and ensures a seamless experience for both developers and operations teams.

Additional Resources

Secure MCN Article Series

Secure MCN Intro: Deploy Infra, Connect & Secure Apps Everywhere
Secure MCN Part 1: Using Distributed Application Security Policies in Secure Multicloud Networking Customer Edge Sites
Secure MCN Part 2: The App Delivery Fabric with Secure Multicloud Networking
Secure MCN Part 3: Coming Soon: The Secure Network Fabric with Multicloud Network Segmentation & Private Provider Network Connectivity