Centralized ingress inspection architecture in AWS Cloud WAN

This article explores centralized internet ingress inspection architectures using AWS Cloud WAN, comparing distributed versus centralized deployment models and providing detailed packet flow analysis for multi-region scenarios.

• Distributed model offers simplified traffic flow but creates operational complexity and cost inefficiency at scale
• Centralized ingress architecture funnels all internet traffic through dedicated Ingress VPC with security appliances
• Scenario 1: Ingress and Application VPCs in same Region using Network Firewall and load balancers
• Scenario 2: Centralized Ingress VPC in one Region serving Application VPCs across multiple Regions
• Multi-Region ingress extension provides geographic redundancy and reduced latency for global users
• Integration with egress inspection using AWS Cloud WAN service insertion for bidirectional traffic control
• Load balancing requires ALB in Ingress VPC with NLB targets in Application VPCs via IP-based routing
• Client IP preservation limitations exist for cross-VPC NLB deployments through AWS Cloud WAN
• Centralized architecture increases operational complexity but provides consistent security policy enforcement

AWS Cloud WAN enables organizations to implement robust centralized ingress inspection patterns that balance security, scalability, and operational efficiency across global network infrastructure.