Azure & Office 365

A private subnet serves as an isolated network segment, safeguarded from external networks and the vast world of internet. It is the preferred environment for safeguarding sensitive and confidential data, like databases, servers, and applications, demanding a pristine level of security and privacy. Its efficacy in enhancing the performance and reliability of network traffic by mitigating latency, congestion, and interference cannot be overstated.

Challenges do arise with private subnets. Notably, their inability to directly interact with the public internet hinders access to online resources like web pages, APIs, and cloud storage. Equally limiting is the difficulty in monitoring, managing, or troubleshooting them remotely from outside the network.

To surmount such obstacles, private subnets often lean on intermediary devices or services such as NAT gateways, VPNs, or proxies, facilitating bidirectional or unidirectional communication between the private subnets and the public internet or other networks. Nonetheless, these solutions introduce added complexity, cost, and security risks mandating meticulous configuration, maintenance, and security measures.

In an enterprise to ease and refine the usage of private subnets, Microsoft Azure has recently unveiled the public preview of the groundbreaking feature, “Private Subnet,” within Azure Virtual Network (VNet). This innovation obviates the necessity for intermediary devices or services, empowering private subnets to communicate securely and directly with the public internet and other Azure services like Azure Storage, Azure SQL Database, or Azure App Service, employing private IP addresses. Notably, the Private Subnet offers the flexibility to access and administer private subnets from any location through Azure Portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.

The underpinning of Private Subnet lies in the Private Link concept, a paradigm that forges a private endpoint for a service within a VNet. Private Link empowers users to connect to a service using a private IP address, eschewing the need for a public IP address or DNS name. Further, Private Link thwarts data from exiting the VNet, eschewing the use of the public internet or any intermediary devices or services. This heralds a secure, reliable way to link to Azure services and third-party services that support Private Link.

Private Subnet extends the functionality of Private Link, by allowing users to create private endpoints for any subnet within a VNet, not just for specific services. Private Subnet also allows users to create private endpoints for multiple subnets within the same VNet, or across different VNets, regions, or subscriptions. Private Subnet also supports both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, and integrates with Azure DNS, Azure Firewall, and Azure Network Security Groups.

Private Subnet is a promising feature that aims to make private subnets easier and better to use in Azure. Private Subnet offers several benefits, such as:

• Enhanced security and privacy: Private Subnet protects data from exposure or interception, as it does not use the public internet or any intermediary devices or services. Private Subnet also encrypts data in transit, and allows users to control access and permissions by using Azure Network Security Groups.
• Improved performance and reliability: Private Subnet reduces latency, congestion, and interference, as it uses private IP addresses and private endpoints. Private Subnet also ensures high availability and scalability, as it leverages Azure’s global network and infrastructure.
• Simplified management and operation: Private Subnet eliminates the need for configuration, maintenance, and security measures for intermediary devices or services, such as NAT gateways, VPNs, or proxies. Private Subnet also enables users to access and manage private subnets from anywhere, by using Azure Portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.

Private Subnet is a feature that is worth trying out and exploring, especially for users who have workloads or scenarios that require private subnets. Private Subnet can help users to achieve their goals and requirements, while saving time, money, and effort. Private Subnet can also help users to take advantage of the rich and diverse offerings of Azure services and third-party services, without compromising the security and privacy of their data. Private Subnet is a feature that can potentially transform the way users use private subnets in Azure.

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