Azure Digital WAN introduces its first SaaS providing | Azure Weblog

As we speak we’re excited to announce the preview of Palo Alto Networks Cloud Subsequent Technology Firewall (NGFW) for Azure, accessible as a software program as a service (SaaS) providing in Azure Digital WAN. Azure Digital WAN (vWAN), networking as a service brings networking, safety, and routing functionalities collectively to simplify networking in Azure. With ease of use and ease in-built, vWAN is a one-stop store to attach, shield, route site visitors, and monitor your extensive space community.

Digital WAN’s deep integration with the Palo Alto Networks managed firewall service lets you benefit from the simplicity of a SaaS safety providing with out the hassles of managing provisioning, scaling, resiliency, software program updates, or routing. A SaaS mannequin allows a buyer to deploy an answer by merely supplying obligatory parameters and abstracting themselves from the administration of community digital home equipment.

On this weblog, we’ll give attention to the use case, adopted by a short overview of the behind-the-scenes secret sauce that makes it occur, after which understanding key Palo Alto Networks differentiating options.

The use case

Prospects of Azure Digital WAN can now use Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW for Azure to safe their site visitors via their Digital WAN deployments. As we speak, clients with digital hubs throughout the globe can select to guard their site visitors destined to on-premises, by deploying an Azure Firewall or a third-party community digital equipment (NVA). Prospects now have the extra skill to have the ability to deploy Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW as a SaaS answer and safe any potential site visitors flows of their vWAN deployment.

The completely different site visitors flows which can be supported by a buyer’s vWAN deployment are illustrated under. Flows are numbered within the desk under with the next assumptions:

• ‘B’ stands for a Department which is a buyer’s on-premises community related to Azure via ExpressRoute circuits, Department/Website-to-site VPN, or Distant person/Level-to-site connections.
• ‘V’ stands for VNet—Azure Digital networks internet hosting buyer companies and related to a Digital WAN hub. It might even be known as spoke VNet.
• ‘I’ stands for web, which implies the shopper site visitors that originates from or terminates within the web and traverses via Azure Digital WAN.
• ‘H’ stands for Azure Digital hub.
• Visitors flows throughout a single hub are site visitors flows originating and terminating on endpoints related to the identical digital hub. These may be known as Intra-hub flows.
• Inter-hub flows are site visitors flows that traverse throughout 2 digital hubs to get to the vacation spot.

Consumer expertise

Prospects can add Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW to an Azure Digital WAN Hub within the Azure portal. After a hub is created, click on on the hub title and navigate to Third-party Suppliers -> SaaS options –> Create SaaS and select the Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW possibility.

After clicking “Create”, you’ll be taken to a wizard expertise the place you may configure and customise your Cloud NGFW SaaS deployment. You may customise key networking and safety attributes of your SaaS akin to deciding on public Ips, DNS proxy settings, safety insurance policies, and safety settings.

After the Cloud NGFW has been efficiently provisioned, you may handle your SaaS Firewall by navigating to your Digital Hub -> Third-party suppliers -> SaaS options -> Handle SaaS. Explore here for extra info on accessible choices.

How does this all work inside Digital WAN

As talked about within the prior part, Digital WAN helps a number of flows. For example the behind-the-scenes workings in Digital WAN, we’ll use East-West (V2V) site visitors flows.

As you may see, the complexities of site visitors engineering, and infrastructure administration are fully eliminated and the person will get to only give attention to securing the proper safety insurance policies for his or her community site visitors.

Key highlights of the Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW for Azure integration with Digital WAN

Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW for Azure integrates with Azure Digital WAN deployments, enabling clients to guard site visitors throughout their complete community. Whereas there are a number of cool and turn-key options constructed into the combination, just a few which can be price calling out are under:

• Machine studying powered NGFW: Cloud NGFW for Azure makes use of AI and machine studying to detect and cease identified, unknown, and zero-day threats, enabling clients to remain forward of subtle adversaries.
• Constant Safety and Administration from On-Premises to Azure: Cloud NGFW for Azure is built-in with Panorama, Palo Alto Networks coverage administration answer. The mixing of Panorama with Cloud NGFW for Azure gives a bunch of advantages to clients. Firstly, it allows seamless safety coverage extension from on-prem to Azure, simplifying operations and decreasing administrative workload and complete value of possession. Extra importantly, this integration enforces the identical excessive requirements of safety within the cloud, making certain that clients’ cloud environments are safe and guarded in opposition to cyber threats. Moreover, the combination supplies centralized visibility, offering worthwhile insights into the threats on their community enabling clients to handle their safety insurance policies via their current Panorama console, streamlining administration, permitting their cloud groups to give attention to software migration and new software improvement.
• Ease of use: Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW is designed to be extremely straightforward to make use of. Much like Digital WAN product rules for simplicity and ease of use, this Palo Alto Networks built-in answer permits clients to acquire and deploy the answer instantly from the Azure portal in only a few minutes, offering immediate safety in opposition to cyber threats. The answer can be painless to function as Palo Alto Networks takes care of scaling, resilience, and software program updates. This integration offers clients the agility and adaptability they should handle their cloud safety whereas specializing in their core enterprise aims.

We would like your suggestions

We stay up for persevering with to construct out Azure Digital WAN and including extra capabilities sooner or later. We encourage you to check out Azure Digital WAN and the Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW SaaS and stay up for listening to extra about your experiences to include your suggestions into the product.

Be taught extra

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