A Direct Connect gateway allows private connectivity between on-premises networks and cloud services, facilitating high speed and secure data transfer without traversing the public Internet. This is essential in hybrid cloud environments where data security and network performance are priorities. NAT gateways primarily handle IP address translation, not direct connectivity. Internet gateways connect cloud services to the Internet and do not provide the private linkage required for this scenario. A VPN, while it does secure data transfers over public networks, would not bypass the public Internet as Direct Connect does.