A VPC is your own logically isolated part of the AWS cloud. This is where you create and configure your own network as you define it. Think of it as your self-contained environment where your analytics will exist. You have complete control here, you create and can configure your own IP address range, subnets, network gateways, and route tables. Although it was not originally the case, there is now no escaping VPCs. Even if you do not create a custom VPC, AWS will create one for you (called a default VPC). You are not limited to one VPC; you could have several of your own little analytical worlds to lord over.