Connect. Secure. Manage.
Azure ExpressRoute Network Integration
Integrate enterprise Cisco networks with Azure ExpressRoute, checking peering, route exchange, resilience and the boundaries of provider responsibility.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Azure ExpressRoute network integration links your network to supported Microsoft cloud services through a private connection. We plan the client-side Cisco routes, gateways and security beyond the provider handoff. Tests check the paths used by real apps and the recovery design. An ExpressRoute circuit alone does not guarantee encryption or resilience across the whole path.
The whole path
Understand how sites, providers, cloud networks and security controls fit together.
Resilience that can be tested
Separate a second circuit from genuine end-to-end service resilience.
Provider coordination
Keep addressing, routing and escalation ownership clear across organisations.
Establish the required Azure connectivity
We find the Azure networks, services and on-premises locations that need to communicate. The appropriate peering and gateway needs depend on those destinations. We work with the customer's Azure team to define the scope rather than assuming one circuit setting provides unrestricted access to every service in a subscription.
The design records the provider model, circuit ownership, capacity and the parties responsible for provisioning. A carrier may supply the physical or virtual handoff while Microsoft and the customer control other parts of the path. Those boundaries are made clear so installation and incident duties do not become ambiguous later.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
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Prepare the addressing and BGP specification
ExpressRoute integration requires accurate route and addressing information on both sides. We review the assigned peering details, autonomous-system arrangements and the prefixes the customer intends to advertise. Overlapping networks and unsuitable summaries are identified before they create unreachable or incorrectly routed workloads.
The route policy also defines what should be accepted from the cloud side and where it should be distributed internally. A successful BGP session does not prove that every app network has a correct return path. We examine the complete route exchange, including on-premises firewalls and any internal routing protocols beyond the edge.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Coordinate Azure network resources
Virtual networks, gateways, route tables and other Azure components need to fit the intended architecture. We check which team creates and maintains them and which changes are required for the integration. Connectivity between Azure networks should not be assumed merely because they share a subscription or have a peering relationship.
Where virtual appliances or central inspection are involved, we map the exact forwarding path. The design must avoid unintended bypasses and asymmetric traffic through stateful devices. Cloud and on-premises policy are reviewed together so each side does not independently assume the other is providing the required restriction.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Treat encryption as a separate requirement
Private network access and encryption are different properties. Microsoft documents encryption options and their applicable scope for ExpressRoute arrangements. We assess the supported method needed by the customer's traffic and risk needs. We do not describe all ExpressRoute traffic as encrypted simply because it avoids an ordinary public-internet connection.
The decision considers where encryption begins and ends, the equipment involved and the effect on capacity and operations. Application-layer protection may also be relevant. The handover states which paths are protected by which mechanism, rather than using an undifferentiated statement that the whole connection is secure.
Design resilience beyond the circuit handoff
ExpressRoute service architecture includes defined network access components. But the customer's overall resilience depends on its routers, providers, locations and Azure resources. We examine shared dependencies and decide which extra paths are needed for the required failure cases. A redundant handoff does not on its own protect against every provider, site or cloud-resource outage.
A backup VPN or alternative circuit needs a routing and capacity plan. We identify how traffic moves, which services remain usable and how the preferred path returns after recovery. Existing sessions may behave differently from new connections, especially where the alternate path crosses another firewall or changes addressing.
Validate the business service
Acceptance tests compare expected advertisements, route installation and app reachability from representative endpoints. DNS and identity dependencies are included where they affect the workflow. We avoid declaring completion solely because the circuit status is enabled or a router can reach one Azure address.
Agreed failure tests observe both loss and restoration, with the relevant provider and Azure teams available where needed. The record distinguishes tested behaviour from design assumptions and identifies any limitations in the backup path. This gives the customer a realistic basis for accepting the connection.
Hand over cross-team operational records
The final documentation includes circuit and peering details, route policy, Azure resource ownership and escalation contacts. Monitoring should help distinguish a provider handoff issue from an Azure routing or on-premises setup problem. Changes to prefixes, gateways or inspection paths are reviewed across the teams affected.
MCI can integrate a new ExpressRoute service or investigate a current hybrid connection within our cloud network connectivity scope. Share the Azure topology, provider specification and required app flows. We can establish the Cisco changes and validation work needed without implying that the network engagement includes every app or cloud-administration responsibility.
Technical references
- Azure ExpressRoute introduction — Microsoft
- ExpressRoute encryption options — Microsoft
- ExpressRoute routing requirements — Microsoft
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
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