Azure ExpressRoute enables you to create private connections between Azure data centers and infrastructure that's on your premises or in a colocation environment. ExpressRoute connections do not go over the public Internet, offering more reliability, faster speeds, lower latencies, and higher security than typical connections. In some cases, using ExpressRoute connections to transfer data between on-premises and Azure can also yield significant cost benefits.

With ExpressRoute, you can establish connections to Azure at an ExpressRoute location (Exchange Provider facility) or directly connect to Azure from your existing WAN network (such as a MPLS VPN) provided by a network service provider.