A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a secure and isolated private cloud environment hosted within a public cloud's infrastructure. This model provides an organization with its own logically separated virtual network, offering granular control over network components like IP addresses, subnets, and routing tables. Essentially, a VPC combines the security and control of a private cloud with the scalability and convenience of a public cloud.
A VPC offers the best of both worlds, blending the control of a private data center with the vast resources of the public cloud. This hybrid approach provides businesses with enhanced security, greater flexibility, and the ability to scale operations efficiently. Key advantages include:
Virtual Private Clouds provide a robust set of features for granular control over a cloud networking environment. They allow you to create a logically isolated section of a public cloud, which you can configure and manage like a traditional private data center.
While their names are similar, VPCs and VPNs serve distinct but complementary functions in cloud networking.
Securing a VPC involves leveraging its isolation features while managing network configurations and access controls.
Start by segmenting your network with subnets to isolate resources and control traffic flow. Define clear access control policies and use route tables to direct traffic securely. This foundational step ensures your application components are logically separated, enhancing overall security and manageability.
For external connections, use a VPN to encrypt data in transit to on-premises networks. Implement robust monitoring with flow logs to track network activity and spot potential issues. Finally, design for high availability by distributing resources across multiple availability zones to ensure resilience.
Is a VPC completely isolated from the public internet?
By default, a VPC is isolated. However, you can configure internet gateways for controlled public access. This allows you to expose specific resources like web servers while keeping backend systems, such as databases, completely private and secure from external traffic.
Can I connect my on-premises data center to a VPC?
Yes, you can establish a secure connection using a VPN or a dedicated interconnect service. This creates a hybrid cloud environment, allowing you to seamlessly extend your on-premises network to the cloud for greater flexibility and resource access.
How does VPC pricing work?
Creating a VPC is generally free. Costs are incurred for the resources you launch within it, like virtual machines and load balancers, as well as for data transfer and optional features like NAT gateways or VPN connections. Pricing varies by provider.
A marketing play is a repeatable tactic used to achieve a specific marketing goal, like generating leads or driving engagement.
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other and exchange information.
Customer engagement is the ongoing, value-driven relationship a business builds with its customers to foster brand loyalty and awareness.
Dynamic data is information that updates in real-time. Unlike static data, it reflects the most current state of information automatically.
An account is a company or organization that you're targeting for sales. It can be a prospective, current, or even a past customer.
Lead enrichment tools are platforms that automatically add missing data to your leads, like contact info, firmographics, and buying signals.
Direct sales involves selling products directly to consumers in a non-retail setting, such as at home, online, or person-to-person.
The Target Buying Stage identifies a prospect's position in the buying journey, from initial awareness to the final decision to purchase.
Lead enrichment adds third-party data to your raw lead lists, creating fuller prospect profiles for more effective and personalized outreach.
Marketing attribution is the process of identifying which touchpoints contribute to a conversion and assigning value to each of them.
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A Unique Value Proposition (UVP) is a concise statement that clearly communicates the unique benefit a customer gets from your product or service.
Sales pipeline velocity is a metric that measures how quickly deals move through your sales funnel to generate revenue for your business.
Precision targeting is a marketing strategy that uses data to identify and reach a highly specific audience most likely to convert.
Account Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of individuals from a target account who click on a link in an ad, email, or on a webpage.
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An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that manages your entire hiring and recruitment process from a single dashboard.
Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method where all expenses are re-evaluated and must be justified from scratch for each new budget period.
Renewal rate is the percentage of customers who renew their subscriptions or contracts at the end of their service period.
Average Customer Life is the average time someone remains a customer. It's a key metric for predicting revenue and measuring customer loyalty.
WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) that allows you to easily create, manage, and publish websites and blogs.
Customer loyalty is a customer’s devotion to a brand, shown by their repeat purchases and engagement, driven by positive experiences and trust.
A sales stack is the suite of tech tools—from CRMs to prospecting software—that sales reps use to close deals faster and more efficiently.
An inside sales rep sells products or services remotely from an office, using digital tools like phone and email to connect with customers.
Lookalike audiences are groups of potential customers who share similar characteristics and behaviors with your existing, high-value customers.
Email personalization uses subscriber data—like their name, interests, or past behavior—to create highly relevant and targeted email campaigns.
A version control system (VCS) tracks changes to files over time, allowing you to recall specific versions and collaborate without conflicts.
A sales funnel is a model illustrating the customer's journey from initial awareness to the final purchase, narrowing down leads at each stage.
Gamification applies game mechanics like points, badges, and leaderboards to non-game activities to boost engagement and motivate users.
A channel partner is a company that works with a manufacturer or producer to market and sell their products, software, or services to customers.
A sales lead is a potential customer—an individual or organization that has shown interest in your company's products or services.
API security is the practice of protecting application programming interfaces from attacks, preventing data breaches and unauthorized access.
Channel marketing is a strategy where a company sells its products or services through third-party partners, like resellers or affiliates.
Customer Success is a business strategy focused on proactively helping customers achieve their goals with your product or service.
Video messaging involves sending short, personalized video clips to prospects or customers, replacing traditional text-based communication.
Outbound sales is when reps proactively contact potential customers through cold calls or emails to generate leads and build a sales pipeline.
Outbound lead generation means proactively reaching out to potential customers who haven't yet expressed interest to introduce them to your brand.
The Challenger Sales Model is a sales approach where reps challenge a customer's thinking by teaching, tailoring, and taking control of the sale.
Marketing metrics are quantifiable values that marketing teams use to measure and track the performance of their campaigns and efforts.
Market intelligence is the process of collecting and analyzing data about your target market, competitors, and industry to guide business strategy.
A sales strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how a business will sell its products or services to achieve its revenue goals.
A Request for Information (RFI) is a formal process for gathering information from potential suppliers before issuing a more detailed proposal.
Serverless computing is a cloud model where the provider manages servers, so developers can focus on code without worrying about infrastructure.
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Sales automation uses software to streamline and automate repetitive, manual sales tasks, freeing up reps to focus on selling.
Contact data is the set of details, like names, emails, and phone numbers, used to get in touch with a person or business for outreach.
The C-suite, or C-level, refers to a company's most senior executives. Their titles usually start with 'Chief,' such as CEO, CFO, or CTO.
A qualified lead is a prospect vetted as a good fit for your product. They match your ideal customer profile and show genuine interest.
AI marketing uses artificial intelligence to analyze data, automate decisions, and deliver personalized customer experiences at scale.
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CPM, or Cost Per Mille, is a key advertising metric. It's the cost an advertiser pays for one thousand views or impressions of a single ad.
A sandbox is an isolated testing environment where new or untrusted code can be run safely without affecting the host device or network.
Return on Investment (ROI) is a key performance metric that measures the profitability of an investment relative to its initial cost.
The Dark Funnel describes customer buying activities that are untrackable by companies, such as private chats and word-of-mouth referrals.
A sales pipeline is a visual representation of where prospects are in the sales process, from the first contact to the final sale.
Day Sales Outstanding (DSO) is a financial ratio that shows the average number of days it takes for a company to receive payment for a sale.
A custom API integration is a bespoke connection between software, enabling them to communicate and share data to meet unique business requirements.
Scalability is a company's ability to handle increased workloads or market demands without a drop in performance or a spike in costs.
Triggers are predefined conditions that, when met, automatically launch a workflow or action, ensuring timely and relevant outreach.
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A Subject Matter Expert (SME) is an individual with profound knowledge and authority in a particular area, topic, or industry.
A complex sale features a long sales cycle, multiple stakeholders, and a high-value transaction, demanding a strategic, consultative approach.
Data-driven lead generation is the process of using data insights to identify, attract, and convert high-quality leads into customers.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium tool helping sales teams find and engage with the right leads and accounts on the LinkedIn network.
Average Order Value (AOV) tracks the average dollar amount spent each time a customer places an order on your website or mobile app.
Time on site, or session duration, is a key web metric that tracks the total time a visitor spends on your website during a single visit.
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-based model where users subscribe to an application and access it over the internet.
Pay-per-click (PPC) is an internet advertising model where businesses pay a fee each time one of their online ads is clicked by a user.
A positioning statement is a concise description of your target market and how your product or service uniquely fills their needs.
Trigger marketing uses customer actions or events to automatically send highly relevant, personalized messages at the perfect moment.
Site retargeting is a marketing strategy that shows ads to people who have previously visited your website but left without converting.
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a tool that centralizes customer data to help manage interactions and nurture relationships.
ETL, short for Extract, Transform, Load, is a data integration process for moving raw data from various sources to a central data warehouse.
Customer Data Management (CDM) is the process of collecting, organizing, and analyzing customer data to create a unified view of your audience.
Direct mail is a marketing method where businesses send physical promotional materials directly to potential customers' mailboxes.
SFDC stands for Salesforce Dot Com, a popular cloud-based CRM platform that helps companies manage their customer interactions and data.
Account mapping is comparing your customer list with a partner's to find common prospects and unlock new sales opportunities.
The Challenger Sales model is a methodology where reps teach prospects, tailor their pitch, and take control of the sales conversation.
A pain point is a specific, recurring problem your target customers face, causing them frustration, inefficiency, or added costs.
A headless CMS is a back-end content repository that delivers content via API to any front-end, decoupling the content from its presentation layer.
A Salesforce Administrator is a certified professional who manages and customizes the Salesforce platform to meet a company's specific business needs.
Kubernetes is an open-source system for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
Buyer’s remorse is the sense of regret or anxiety that can arise after making a purchase, often questioning if it was the right decision.
A drip campaign is a series of automated messages sent to prospects or customers over time to nurture leads and drive engagement.
CI/CD, or Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery, automates software builds, tests, and deployments for faster, more reliable releases.
Sales Performance Management (SPM) is a suite of tools and processes that help businesses monitor, analyze, and boost sales team performance.
Data privacy is an individual's right to control their personal information, including how it's collected, processed, stored, and shared.
Pipeline coverage is a key sales metric. It's the ratio of your total open pipeline value to your sales quota for a specific period.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated phone system that uses voice and keypad inputs to interact with callers and route their calls.
Data warehousing is the process of storing and managing large sets of data from various sources for business intelligence and reporting purposes.
Prospecting is the process of identifying potential customers, or prospects, to build a sales pipeline and generate new business opportunities.
Territory management is the process of segmenting customers into groups by geography or other factors to optimize sales efforts and resources.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) benchmarks are key metrics used to measure the performance and success of your targeted account strategies.
A RESTful API is a web service interface that uses HTTP requests to access and use data, adhering to the constraints of REST architecture.
A competitive advantage is a unique edge that allows a business to produce goods or services better or more cheaply than its rivals.
Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in code, allowing developers to collaborate and manage project history effectively.
Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) is the ideal order quantity a company should purchase to minimize its total inventory-related costs.
A marketing automation platform is software that automates marketing actions. It helps manage tasks like email campaigns and lead nurturing.
Data hygiene is the practice of ensuring your customer data is clean, accurate, and up-to-date by removing duplicates and correcting errors.