Azure Firewall Reviews

Name: Azure Firewall
Brand: Microsoft
Rating: 3.7 (36 reviews)

3.7 out of 5

36 reviews
82% willing to recommend

1,568 followers

What is Azure Firewall?

Azure Firewall is a user-friendly, intuitive, cloud-native firewall security solution that provides top-of-the-industry threat protection for all your Azure Virtual Network resources. Azure Firewall is constantly and thoroughly analyzing all traffic and data packets, making it a very valuable and secure fully stateful firewall as a service with built-in high availability and unrestricted cloud scalability. Azure Firewall allows users to create virtual IP addresses and provides for secure DDoS protection for the virtual machines on your network. It also provides fast and efficient east-west and north-south traffic security.

Azure Firewall is a managed, cloud-based network security service built to protect your Azure Virtual Network resources. It is a fully stateful firewall as a service with built-in high availability and unrestricted cloud scalability.

Get the Azure Firewall Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about Azure Firewall, Fortinet FortiGate, Netgate pfSense and more!

Azure Firewall is the #12 ranked solution in top Microsoft Security Suite solutions and #19 ranked solution in best firewalls. PeerSpot users give Azure Firewall an average rating of 7.4 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 36 most recent Azure Firewall reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 8.1. (Among the highest in the category). Azure Firewall is most commonly compared to Fortinet FortiGate: Azure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate. Azure Firewall is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 59% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 17% of all views.

Helped 823,875 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Charan Kumar

Director, Technology at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

I use the solution as a firewall. We use it for segmentation and zero-trust security. It's helped us improve our security posture. It's integrated with Azure. You don't have an additional licensing cost and no additional maintenance. The configurations are also comparatively easy. The cost of…

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Nawaz Ahmed.

Information Technology Project Manager at Thoucentric

The threat intelligence aspect of this particular firewall is not at par with other providers. The load balancing and high availability could be better. Something like Panorama can also be a part of this solution. Azure Firewall has a lot of features that are comparable to Palo Alto and other firewalls. One of them is security incidents and event management. The SIEM that Azure Firewall provides us is very robust. There are constant feature additions. They add features every three to six months. They add a lot of new features to it, and its cost is comparatively cheaper than the traditional ones.

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Rene Schouten.

Senior Solution Architect at Stichting Inlichtingenbureau

We used Palo Alto. We switched because we needed to do the configuration manually. Another issue was the pricing. Azure Firewall pricing is based on a pay-as-you-go model, while the Palo Alto pricing includes the cost of the VM-Series license. It's a different usage model. The best choice depends on your specific needs and the level of security features you require. If you need more security features, then Palo Alto would be the better one, but if you want simple management and a cost-effective solution, Azure Firewall is enough. I also used Fortinet FortiGate. It is very popular for the same reasons that Palo Alto is. I have also used Check Point CloudGuard and some of my colleagues use Barracuda and Cisco. Nowadays it's mostly between Azure, Palo Alto, and Fortinet.

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Azure Firewall mindshare

Product category:

As of December 2024, the mindshare of Azure Firewall in the Firewalls category stands at 2.3%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Firewalls	Dec 17, 2024	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Dec 17, 2024	Download
Comparison	Azure Firewall vs Netgate pfSense	Dec 17, 2024	Download
Comparison	Azure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate	Dec 17, 2024	Download
Comparison	Azure Firewall vs OPNsense	Dec 17, 2024	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Fortinet FortiGate	4.2	20.5%	90%	317 interviews Add to research
Netgate pfSense	4.3	18.6%	94%	206 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Valuable features of Azure Firewall include its integration with Azure services, ease of orchestration using APIs, threat intelligence filtering, seamless connectivity, scalability, and high availability. Users appreciate the ability to control traffic with network filtering, URL filtering, IP Groups, and TLS inspection. It offers robust malware protection, DDoS protection, comprehensive security, and seamless configuration. Its cost-effectiveness compared to traditional firewalls is also noted, along with user-friendly management and support.

"I find the solution to be very stable, and would rate it a ten out of ten in terms of stability."
"I like that you can deploy the policies separately from the firewall."
"The solution has FQDN integration."

Room for Improvement

Azure Firewall requires enhancements in perimeter traffic management, security features, and next-generation firewall capabilities. Its interface lacks user-friendliness, and customer support needs faster response times. Costs should be more competitive and pricing improved. Documentation could be clearer, and advanced filtering features like intrusion prevention and application-level filtering are essential. Scalability, threat intelligence, and VPN capabilities are inadequate. Azure Firewall Manager and integration with AI, as well as improvements in high availability, are necessary.

"Azure Firewall is an expensive solution. On a scale from one to ten, where one is not affordable, I would rate the price as a three."
"One thing that would help engineers adopt it better is the documentation."
"I would appreciate it if Azure Firewall included built-in VPN capabilities."

ROI

Azure Firewall is an OPEX expense, providing better value compared to some third-party alternatives. Clients observed around 25% return on investment. Smaller organizations found it cost-effective, while larger ones might prefer different options. It offers 50% cost reduction compared to other cloud-based services. Though not all have seen returns, it is appreciated for its ability to secure organizations. Its usage-based pricing model helps manage expenses effectively.

Pricing

Azure Firewall pricing is viewed as expensive, especially with premium functions and data transfer costs. Enterprises note its pay-as-you-go model, integrated with Azure services, reducing additional licensing costs. While initially seen as costly, its total cost of ownership is beneficial compared to other brands like Palo Alto and Cisco. It's considered more affordable than FortiGate when factoring in simplicity and integration. Users suggest competitive pricing for broader accessibility. Scalability impacts costs, influencing views of its affordability.

"I rate the product pricing a five out of ten."
"Azure Firewall is expensive."
"The pricing of Azure Firewall is pay-as-you-go. Fortinet also has a pay-as-you-go model, but Azure's pricing is higher and, with FortiGate, you also have the license."

Popular Use Cases

Companies primarily utilize Azure Firewall to secure cloud environments, manage network traffic, and protect workloads. They implement it for traffic filtering, entry point security, hybrid cloud solutions, and connectivity between on-premises and cloud platforms. Azure Firewall is also used for zero-trust security, segmenting networks, and ensuring compliance in mission-critical infrastructures. Many organizations find it cost-effective compared to traditional firewalls and appreciate the regular feature enhancements and its role in data center security architecture.

Service and Support

Azure Firewall's customer service varies. Some users find it responsive and knowledgeable, particularly those with Enterprise Agreements, noting quick responses and good feedback. Others experience slower response times, requiring follow-ups for resolutions. Users with less urgency sometimes find the process prolonged, especially when emergencies arise. Many report satisfaction, appreciating knowledgeable support personnel and good documentation. However, some report delays and downtime, suggesting room for improvement. Users often appreciate Microsoft's technical guidance and options available through Enterprise Agreements.

Deployment

Azure Firewall's setup is generally straightforward and user-friendly, with many finding it quick and requiring minimal effort. A few encountered complexities with identity management and integration. Deployment times varied, with some completing it in minutes and others taking longer due to specific requirements or the need for careful configuration. Those with Azure experience found it particularly simple, though some reported minor quirks in rule numbering and certificate setup.

Scalability

Azure Firewall demonstrates strong scalability features, automatically adjusting to handle varying loads. Many appreciate its ability to scale seamlessly across diverse environments. Managed service features contribute to its self-scaling capabilities, supporting a wide range of user numbers and traffic capacities. Some prefer alternative solutions for large enterprise needs. Users in various industries utilize it across regions, benefiting from its capacity to expand as required, although potential improvements exist for specific large-scale implementations.

Stability

Azure Firewall exhibits high stability. Users report no significant problems, bugs, glitches, or crashes. It's described as impressive, reliable, and resilient, benefiting from the Azure Infrastructure. While some experienced early bugs, improvements resolved these issues. Users prefer Azure Firewall over competitors noting its capabilities and features like SD-WAN. Organizations appreciate its predictable uptime, ease of integration, reliability, and managed services. Stability ratings often reach the highest scores, indicating great satisfaction.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Azure Firewall Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Healthcare Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Retailer

Comms Service Provider

University

Construction Company

Educational Organization

Real Estate/Law Firm

Media Company

Non Profit

Legal Firm

Wholesaler/Distributor

Hospitality Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Outsourcing Company

Transportation Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Logistics Company

Consumer Goods Company

Performing Arts

Compare Azure Firewall with alternative products

Learn more about Azure Firewall

Azure Firewall has two significant offerings, Standard and Premium.

Azure Firewall Standard works directly with Microsoft Cyber Security and supplies excellent L3-L7 filtering and threat awareness. The proactive real-time threat awareness will quickly alert you and immediately deny all traffic to and from any known problematic or suspicious domains or IP addresses. Microsoft Cyber Security is updated continually to protect against all new and known potential threats at all times. To learn more about Azure Firewall Standard, click here.

Azure Firewall Premium provides everything the standard version does, and additionally adds extra levels of data encryption, network intrusion detection, extended URL filtering, and Web category filters. To learn more about the added features of Azure Firewall Premium, click here.

Key Benefits and Features of Azure Firewall:

High availability - You do not need load balancers with Azure Firewall; it's already built in and ready to go.
Self-scalability - Azure Firewall is intuitive and will auto-scale as needed based on traffic flow to be ready for peak traffic times.
Threat awareness - Using Microsoft Cyber Security to filter traffic, Azure Firewall will deny any known problematic threats to keep your network safe.
Additional IP addresses - You can securely add up to 250 public IP addresses with Azure Firewall
Improved web category filtering - You can set up specific protocols to allow or deny categories within websites that are deemed inappropriate for use within your network. You have the ability to organize categories based on a defined set of descriptions.

What our real users have to say:

Many PeerSpot users found Azure Firewall to be very user-friendly and easy to use. They liked that it offers seamless integration to the cloud and were especially pleased with the threat filtering options.

Regarding integration and threat intelligence, our users wrote:

“The most valuable feature is the integration into the overall cloud platform.”

“The most valuable feature is threat intelligence. It is based on filtering and can identify multiple threats.”

“I think that one of the best features is definitely the premium version, along with the IDPs in terms of the intrusion detection and prevention system.”