How can I use hardware VPN devices with Azure?

Question

We are evaluating moving from a standard host (using dedicated machines) to Azure (using virtual machines).

We have several b2b partners who require us to connect to their VPN via a hardware VPN device. In each case the VPN hardware is either specified by the partner, or further to that they actually send us the VPN device for us to host.

How can we support this scenario using Azure?

I understand Azure has a VPN solution, that relies on the Azure software VPN connecting to an on-site VPN. However in this case we do not option of using a software VPN, and we also do not , I assume, have the option of using our own hardware VPN device in an Azure data center.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

You cannot place your own customer hardware in the Microsoft Datacenters. The intent of the Windows Azure Virtual Network is to allow the cloud hosted software based side of the VN to connect to an onsite VPN (either hardware or software).

So for some of your partners, you could connect Azure to their existing hardware based VPN devices in their own datacenters, or that you are hosting for them in yours.

Note that currently, a Virtual Network is limited to connecting to a single VPN gateway. So "multi-tenant" solutions that require individual VPN gateways for each tenant are not readily supported without some type of intermediary/proxy.