How does SD-WAN support multi-cloud connectivity (Azure/AWS/GCP) and what components are involved?

• A. VPN only
• B. Secure IPsec/GRE tunnels and cloud connectors; vManage/vSmart can manage policies for cloud-bound traffic; Cloud onRamp and direct connections enable optimized SaaS and cloud access
• C. Edge devices manage cloud connections only
• D. Static routing handles cloud connectivity

Answer: (B)

SD-WAN enables multi-cloud connectivity by extending the fabric into public clouds and SaaS, using secure tunnels, cloud integration points, and centralized policy control to steer cloud‑bound traffic efficiently. Secure IPsec/GRE tunnels provide encrypted paths from the SD-WAN edges to cloud environments, with GRE often kept for compatibility. Cloud connectors are virtual or software-based points deployed in the cloud that the SD-WAN fabric uses to reach AWS, Azure, and GCP resources, simplifying access to those cloud networks. Centralized policy management from the controllers (vManage and vSmart) pushes rules for cloud-bound traffic, so application-aware routing, security, and QoS can consistently apply to traffic heading to cloud services. Cloud onRamp and direct connections further optimize access: Cloud onRamp steers and accelerates SaaS and cloud traffic, while direct connections (such as AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, and GCP Interconnect) provide lower latency and higher bandwidth by linking to cloud providers’ networks directly. Together, these elements deliver scalable, secure, and performant multi-cloud connectivity across Azure, AWS, and GCP.

The other options are incomplete because they omit essential cloud integration, centralized policy control, or cloud-optimized paths needed for true multi-cloud support.