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#4

Azure Firewall is ranked #4 in the Firewall Software product directory based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub. Compare the leaders with our In-Depth Report.

Azure Firewall Pricing

Based on our most recent analysis, Azure Firewall pricing starts at $0 (Per Hour, Usage-Based).

Price
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Starting From
$0.46
Pricing Model
Per Hour, Usage-Based
Free Trial
Yes, Request for Free

Training Resources

Azure Firewall is supported with the following types of training:

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars

Support

The following support services are available for Azure Firewall:

Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Help Desk
Knowledge Base
Tickets
Training
24/7 Live Support

Azure Firewall Benefits and Insights

Why use Azure Firewall?

Key differentiators & advantages of Azure Firewall

  • Comprehensive Threat Protection: Azure Firewall provides robust security by inspecting both inbound and outbound traffic, ensuring that malicious threats are identified and blocked before they can infiltrate your network.
  • Centralized Management: With Azure Firewall, you can manage all your firewall policies from a single location, simplifying the process of maintaining consistent security across your entire organization.
  • Scalability: Azure Firewall automatically scales with your network traffic, ensuring that your security measures remain effective even as your business grows and your traffic increases.
  • High Availability: Built-in high availability ensures that Azure Firewall remains operational even during maintenance or unexpected outages, providing continuous protection for your network.
  • Cost Efficiency: By using a cloud-based firewall, you eliminate the need for expensive on-premises hardware, reducing both capital expenditure and ongoing maintenance costs.
  • Integration with Azure Services: Azure Firewall seamlessly integrates with other Azure services, such as Azure Monitor and Azure Security Center, providing a holistic view of your security posture.
  • Policy Analytics: Gain insights into your firewall policies with detailed analytics, helping you to optimize rules and improve security effectiveness based on real-world data.
  • Application and Network Rule Filtering: Azure Firewall allows you to create both application and network rules, providing granular control over traffic based on fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) and IP addresses.
  • Threat Intelligence-Based Filtering: Leverage Microsoft’s threat intelligence to automatically block traffic from known malicious IP addresses, enhancing your network’s defense against cyber threats.
  • Customizable Alerts: Set up alerts for specific security events, enabling your IT team to respond quickly to potential threats and minimize the impact on your business operations.
  • Logging and Reporting: Azure Firewall provides detailed logs and reports, allowing you to track network activity and audit security events for compliance and forensic analysis.
  • Support for Hybrid Environments: Azure Firewall can be deployed in hybrid cloud environments, providing consistent security policies across both on-premises and cloud-based resources.
  • Ease of Deployment: Deploying Azure Firewall is straightforward, with pre-configured settings and templates that allow you to get up and running quickly without extensive configuration.
  • Secure Remote Access: Protect remote access to your network with Azure Firewall, ensuring that only authorized users can connect to your resources from outside your organization.
  • Continuous Updates: Azure Firewall receives regular updates from Microsoft, ensuring that your security measures are always up-to-date with the latest threat intelligence and protection mechanisms.

Industry Expertise

Azure Firewall is particularly well-suited for organizations that require robust network security for their cloud workloads, especially those with high traffic volumes or sensitive data. It's a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes, from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMBs) to large enterprises, and can be tailored to meet specific security needs.

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Based on an aggregate of Azure Firewall reviews taken from the sources above, the following pros & cons have been curated by a SelectHub Market Analyst.

Pros

  • Easy to Use: Azure Firewall is known for its user-friendly interface, making it simple for administrators to define and manage security policies without extensive technical expertise.
  • Scalability: Azure Firewall is designed to automatically scale based on network traffic demands, ensuring consistent performance and protection even during peak loads.
  • Cost-Effective: Azure Firewall operates on a pay-as-you-go model, allowing businesses to pay only for the resources they consume, which can be more cost-effective than traditional hardware-based firewalls.
  • Centralized Management: Azure Firewall can be centrally managed, allowing administrators to apply and enforce security policies across multiple Azure Virtual Networks from a single location.
  • Threat Intelligence: Azure Firewall leverages Microsoft's threat intelligence feeds to identify and block known malicious IP addresses and domains, providing an additional layer of protection against evolving threats.

Cons

  • Configuration Complexity: Azure Firewall can be difficult to configure, especially for users without deep networking knowledge. The user interface, while functional, may not be intuitive enough for some, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Cost: Compared to other firewall solutions, Azure Firewall can be expensive, especially for businesses with tight budgets or those requiring only basic firewall functionalities.
  • Feature Gaps: Azure Firewall lacks some advanced features found in competing products. For instance, it may not have robust intrusion prevention capabilities, advanced filtering options, or comprehensive TLS inspection, potentially leaving some security gaps.
  • Limited Threat Intelligence: The threat intelligence feed in Azure Firewall might not be as comprehensive or up-to-date as dedicated threat intelligence solutions. This could result in less effective protection against zero-day threats and evolving attack vectors.

Researcher's Summary:

Is Azure Firewall a "blazing" fast solution for network security, or will it leave you "feeling the burn?" Azure Firewall is a highly regarded security solution that earns praise for its user-friendliness, scalability, and robust security features. Users particularly appreciate its seamless integration with other Azure services, making it a natural choice for organizations heavily invested in the Azure ecosystem. This tight integration allows for centralized management and consistent security policies across an organization's Azure resources. For instance, Azure Firewall can be easily configured to protect virtual networks, subnets, and even individual virtual machines from network threats.

However, Azure Firewall is not without its drawbacks. Some users find its pricing structure, while based on a pay-as-you-go model, to be less competitive than alternatives like Fortinet FortiGate, especially for organizations with predictable network traffic patterns. This price difference can be significant for organizations operating on tight budgets or those with large and complex network infrastructures.

In conclusion, Azure Firewall is an excellent choice for organizations deeply embedded in the Azure ecosystem, especially those prioritizing tight integration, ease of use, and robust security features. Its seamless integration with other Azure services simplifies management and enhances security posture. However, organizations sensitive to pricing or those seeking more competitive pricing models might find Fortinet FortiGate a more appealing option. Ultimately, the best choice depends on an organization's specific needs, priorities, and budget considerations.

Key Features

Notable Azure Firewall features include:

  • Built-in High Availability: Azure Firewall is designed with high availability in mind, ensuring that your network security is consistently maintained without the need for additional configurations.
  • Unrestricted Cloud Scalability: Automatically scales with your network traffic, providing seamless protection as your cloud environment grows.
  • Threat Intelligence-Based Filtering: Leverages Microsoft’s threat intelligence feed to block traffic from known malicious IP addresses and domains.
  • Application and Network Rule Enforcement: Supports both application rules for HTTP/S traffic and network rules for non-HTTP/S traffic, allowing for comprehensive control over network access.
  • FQDN Tag Filtering: Simplifies rule creation by allowing filtering based on fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) using pre-defined tags.
  • Centralized Policy Management: Manage and enforce security policies across multiple Azure Firewall instances from a single location, streamlining administrative tasks.
  • Integration with Azure Monitor: Provides detailed logging and analytics through Azure Monitor, enabling deep insights into firewall activity and performance.
  • Support for Hybrid Networks: Seamlessly integrates with on-premises networks, providing consistent security policies across hybrid environments.
  • Custom DNS Support: Allows the use of custom DNS servers for name resolution, enhancing flexibility in network configurations.
  • Forced Tunneling: Directs all outbound traffic to a designated next hop, such as an on-premises firewall or network virtual appliance, for additional inspection.
  • Web Categories Filtering: Enables filtering of outbound user access to the internet based on web categories, enhancing security and compliance.
  • IP Groups: Simplifies management by allowing grouping of IP addresses and ranges, which can be used in firewall rules for easier administration.
  • Network Address Translation (NAT): Supports both source and destination NAT, providing flexibility in how traffic is routed and managed.
  • SSL Termination: Decrypts SSL traffic for inspection, ensuring that encrypted threats are detected and mitigated.
  • Azure Security Center Integration: Works in conjunction with Azure Security Center to provide a comprehensive security posture management solution.
  • Cost-Effective Pricing Model: Offers a predictable pricing model based on data processed, making it easier to manage and forecast security costs.