Microsoft and AWS build the multicloud bridge they said customers barely needed
Microsoft has launched a preview service allowing customers to establish private, high-speed connections between its Azure platform and Amazon Web Services, addressing multicloud networking friction that both companies had previously downplayed. The new offering, Azure Multicloud Interconnect, works alongside AWS's equivalent service, AWS Interconnect – multicloud, letting organisations link infrastructure across the two rival clouds without the lengthy manual setup this has traditionally required. The move is notable given that AWS previously told the UK's competition regulator there were no significant barriers to multicloud strategies, while Microsoft had claimed there was little customer demand for it outside niche cases.
The service can deliver private connections of up to 100 Gbps from launch, with room to scale further, and is built on open API specifications also used in a similar AWS-Google Cloud partnership struck last year. Microsoft says the offering removes the need to separately coordinate physical connectivity, routing and monitoring, a process that could previously take weeks or months. AWS says its equivalent interconnect service now spans all three major rival platforms — Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure — and includes built-in MACsec security and four-nines availability. Interested customers can join the Azure preview via their Microsoft or AWS account teams.
- Microsoft and AWS now offer private 100 Gbps links between their clouds
- Move contradicts both firms' past claims that multicloud demand was minimal
- Based on open API specs also used in AWS-Google Cloud tie-up
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Cloud computing lets organisations rent computing power and storage from providers such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Some organisations use more than one provider, for example to connect different systems or spread their work across services. Linking separate clouds can require complex planning and setup.
Microsoft and AWS are major competitors in cloud computing. They have previously played down how much customers need to combine cloud services, while AWS told the UK competition regulator that multicloud strategies faced no significant barriers. Easier links between providers matter because they may affect how much effort organisations need to use services from more than one cloud company.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A standardised private link between Azure and AWS could make multicloud more practical by reducing the time, cost and coordination needed to connect services across providers. That gives organisations more flexibility to place workloads where they best meet needs for resilience, performance or particular cloud capabilities, and may help them avoid dependence on a single supplier.
The case against
The launch may show that multicloud connectivity is a real operational need, but it does not by itself establish that most customers want or benefit from running across several clouds. Managing separate platforms can add complexity and cost, while a high-speed connection does not remove those challenges; the preview’s value will depend on customer uptake and how well it works in practice.