AWS Interconnect – Multicloud is the Highway, SFTP Gateway and StorageLink are the Trucks
AWS recently announced the preview of AWS Interconnect – multicloud, a new service that creates private, high-speed connections between AWS and other major cloud providers. Google Cloud is the first launch partner, with Microsoft Azure support coming in 2026.
For enterprises running multicloud environments, this is significant news. But it’s also worth understanding exactly what this service does (and doesn’t do) for your data movement strategy.
The Infrastructure Layer vs. The Data Layer
Think of AWS Interconnect as a highway construction project. AWS is building dedicated, private roads between its cloud and others. These roads offer dedicated bandwidth, built-in resiliency, and eliminate the need for enterprises to architect their own complex network connections across providers.
But a highway doesn’t move cargo. It just makes movement possible.
Once you have fast, private connectivity between clouds, you still need tools actually to transfer your data across those connections. That’s an entirely different layer of the stack, and it’s where Thorn Technologies can help with SFTP Gateway and StorageLink.
As our CEO, Jeff Thorn, writes on LinkedIn, “AWS just built the highway. We’ve got the trucks.”
What AWS Interconnect – Multicloud Provides
AWS Interconnect – multicloud handles the network plumbing:
- Private connections between your Amazon VPCs and other cloud environments
- Dedicated bandwidth so your cross-cloud traffic isn’t competing with public internet
- Built-in resiliency for reliable connectivity
- Integration with AWS networking services like Transit Gateway and Cloud WAN
- Faster setup compared to traditional DIY multicloud networking
What it doesn’t provide is any mechanism for actually moving files. There’s no SFTP endpoint, no file synchronization, no transfer logging or compliance features. It’s pure infrastructure.
The File Transfer Gap
Enterprise file transfer requires more than connectivity. You still need protocol support, storage abstraction across providers, compliance controls, and operational simplicity. A private network connection doesn’t solve any of that.
How SFTP Gateway and StorageLink Fit In
This is precisely the layer where our products operate. SFTP Gateway provides managed SFTP endpoints that connect directly to cloud storage, including AWS S3, Azure Blob, or Google Cloud Storage. StorageLink handles storage-to-storage synchronization across providers.
With AWS Interconnect providing the network foundation, these tools become even more powerful. Your file transfers travel over dedicated private connections rather than the public internet, combining AWS’s infrastructure investment with purpose-built data movement capabilities.
Here’s a practical example:
An organization that uses AWS for primary operations but Azure for specific compliance-driven workloads can now establish private connectivity through AWS Interconnect, then utilize SFTP Gateway to enable external partners to upload files that automatically sync to the appropriate cloud environment. The network is fast and private; the file handling is secure and auditable.
The Multicloud Opportunity
AWS launching this service signals something important: multicloud isn’t a transitional phase that enterprises will eventually abandon. It’s becoming a permanent architecture pattern that the major cloud providers are now building native support for.
For organizations already running multicloud environments, or those planning to do so, the combination of simplified network infrastructure and effective data movement tools makes cross-cloud operations more practical than ever.
AWS is building the roads. The question is whether you have the right vehicles to move your data across them. If not, it’s time to take SFTP Gateway and StorageLink for a test drive; both are available with a free trial on the AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud marketplace, and our products were designed to support multicloud environments from the ground up.
