This document outlines a recent shift in ExpressRoute architecture to improve scalability, segmentation, and high availability (HA). The previous design had several technical limitations that became bottlenecks as the cloud footprint expanded.
Previous Topology
The legacy ExpressRoute configuration was built using:
Standard SKU ExpressRoute circuit
A single Virtual Network Gateway (VNG) in the Hub VNet
Spoke VNets peered to the hub for ER access
No Global Reach or cross-region BCDR
Limitations Observed:
Prefix limits exceeded during routing updates (max 10,000 for Standard SKU)
Lack of regional segmentation – one blast radius for all apps
No Global Reach – cross-geo traffic routed inefficiently via VPN/Internet
Throughput constraints due to shared VNG and circuit
New Design Highlights
The revised architecture leverages:
Premium SKU ExpressRoute Circuit
Dedicated VNG per region (or per functional Hub)
Enabled ExpressRoute Global Reach for east-west BCDR
Segmented VNets by workload/region via multiple peering domains
Upgraded ER from Standard to Premium to lift prefix limits and allow Global Reach
VNG Redesign
Created multiple ER Gateways in separate Hubs (regional or functional)
Peering Model
Implemented dual-peering strategy per environment
Route Filtering
Enabled to control learned prefixes
Traffic Segmentation
Used UDRs and NVAs to route regionally and isolate workloads
Sample Change Log Entry
ChangeID:CHG-AZR-ER-2025-07Date:2025-07-15Summary:ERCircuit upgrade +Hub redesign for segmentation and HAAction:-UpgradedER circuit to Premium-DeployednewERGWinCentralUS-Connected3 spoke VNets using regional hub
-EnabledGlobalReachwithEastUS circuit
Impact:ImprovedBCDR and removed prefix limit error observed during routing updates