Azure ExpressRoute

Azure ExpressRoute is a service that creates a private connection between your IT environment and Microsoft Azure. Unlike using public internet, ExpressRoute gives your business a dedicated, high-bandwidth link into Azure’s cloud. This is crucial if you have workloads that require consistent performance, low latency, or enhanced security.

By avoiding the unpredictability of the internet, ExpressRoute ensures your applications in Azure run smoothly – for example, large database transactions, video conferencing, or backups can occur with minimal lag and interference. Businesses that handle sensitive data or operate hybrid cloud environments often need ExpressRoute to meet security and reliability requirements.

ExpressRoute is highly secure because it provides a private, direct path into Azure. Your traffic does not traverse the public internet at all, which dramatically lowers the risk of interception or attack. In contrast, a typical VPN over the internet is encrypted but still moves through public networks where it could be subject to DDoS attacks or congestion. With ExpressRoute, your data travels through carrier-grade infrastructure directly to Azure, often via fibre links that are inherently difficult to tap. Additionally, we can layer on encryption or custom firewall policies if required, although many organisations find that the private nature of ExpressRoute plus Azure’s built-in security features are sufficient for their compliance needs.

You can expect significantly improved performance with ExpressRoute versus a normal internet connection. Because it is a dedicated circuit, you benefit from low latency and high throughput. In practical terms, this means faster data transfers and more responsive cloud applications. Many organisations see their Azure workloads (such as virtual desktops, ERP systems, or large file transfers) operate almost as if they were on-premises.

With bandwidth options ranging from as low as 50 Mbps up to 10 Gbps (and even higher with special arrangements), ExpressRoute can accommodate everything from routine office cloud use to data-intensive applications. Plus, the consistency is a big advantage – since the connection is not contending with public internet traffic, your throughput is stable and predictable.

We provide an end-to-end service for Azure ExpressRoute. During initial setup, our engineers work with you to determine the right bandwidth, routing, and redundancy configuration for your needs. We handle all coordination with the connectivity provider and Microsoft to provision the ExpressRoute circuit. Our team then integrates the connection with your network – for example, setting up BGP peering between your routers and Azure, and ensuring your traffic is correctly routed to use the new private link.

Once operational, we continuously monitor the Express Route connection for performance and reliability. We manage any support incidents or changes on your behalf.

The timeline can vary depending on a few factors, but we streamline the process to make it as fast as possible. If you’re connecting via one of our established carrier partners or data centre links, provisioning can be quite quick – often a matter of days rather than weeks.

Of course, if new fibre needs to be installed to your premises or if you require a very high-capacity link, it might take longer (for example, coordinating with a carrier for last-mile connectivity could add time). Generally, for many metro locations in Australia, we can plan, provision, and test an Express Route circuit in a few business days. We will give you a clear schedule upfront, and our team works diligently to meet or beat those deadlines so that you can start using your private Azure connection as soon as possible.

Yes. By default, an ExpressRoute circuit in Australia will allow you to connect to Azure services in the local geography (for example, both Azure Australia East and Southeast regions). If your organisation needs to access Azure regions in other geographies (such as Asia or Europe) through the same connection, we can enable an option called ExpressRoute Premium, which extends your circuit’s reach globally.

Additionally, Azure ExpressRoute isn’t limited to just core cloud services – it can also provide private connectivity to other Microsoft offerings like Office 365 and Dynamics 365 (though Microsoft has specific guidance on certain SaaS services, and we will help you navigate those).

Our team will work with you to ensure your Express Route setup covers all the Azure locations and services your business needs.

There are a couple of ways to support multiple sites. One approach is to connect your headquarters or primary data centre to Azure via ExpressRoute, and then route your other offices through that central location to reach Azure. In many cases, this is straightforward if you already have a hub-and-spoke network. Another approach, if your offices are in different cities, is to use an extended reach service – we can arrange for an ExpressRoute partner to provide local access in each city and funnel it into the one ExpressRoute circuit.

Additionally, Microsoft offers a feature called ExpressRoute Global Reach that can link multiple ExpressRoute circuits together. For example, if you have one circuit in Sydney and another in another country, Global Reach can connect your on-premises networks through the Azure backbone.

In summary, yes, your multiple locations can all take advantage of a single Express Route connection, and we will design the solution so that every site gets a secure, efficient path to Azure, avoiding public internet usage.

Azure ExpressRoute is engineered for high reliability. Microsoft’s service-level agreement for ExpressRoute guarantees at least 99.95% availability for dual-port circuits. In practice, this high uptime is achieved by having dual connections: when we set up ExpressRoute for you, we ensure it is provisioned with two diverse paths into Azure (often through different devices or routes in the provider network). If one path encounters a problem, the other is there to keep your connection alive. Additionally, the providers we work with (such as major carriers or data centre exchanges) have their own SLAs and network redundancy to back the physical connectivity.

The end result is a very resilient service – far more so than a single internet link. Many of our clients treat Express Route as an extension of their mission-critical network, and it stands up to that role. We also continuously monitor the link; if any issue begins to surface, our team can take immediate action to address it.

Between Microsoft’s guarantees and our proactive management, you can rely on ExpressRoute to be a stable, always-on connection to Azure.

ExpressRoute is used by organisations of all sizes. It is a misconception that only very large companies benefit – even a smaller business can gain significant advantages from private Azure connectivity if they rely on the cloud. Microsoft has made ExpressRoute accessible with entry-level bandwidths like 50 Mbps and flexible pricing plans, meaning you don’t have to have enormous traffic to justify it. If your business has compliance needs (for example, avoiding sending data over the public internet for privacy reasons), or if you experience performance issues with your cloud applications over standard connections, ExpressRoute could be the right solution regardless of company size.

We have implemented ExpressRoute for mid-sized companies that simply needed reliable connectivity for critical systems like hosted VoIP, remote desktops, or database replication. The key is that we tailor the solution to your scale and budget. With our guidance, even smaller organisations can start with a cost-effective ExpressRoute setup that delivers enterprise-grade benefits. As your business grows, the ExpressRoute connection can scale with you (up to extremely high speeds), but you don’t need to be a huge enterprise to take the first step – if dedicated cloud connectivity solves a problem for you, then it is worth considering.