Azure Firewall: Features, Advantages, and More.

Introduction 

If you do not have a background in software engineering, it is most likely that you have no idea whatsoever what Azure Firewall is all about. However, if you are wading into cloud-based network security in the tech-based industry, or just want to have a better idea, it is very important to know all about its features, advantages, and more. Read on to have a better understanding of its features, advantages, and more- for that is what this article is all about.  

1. What is Azure Firewall? 
2. Features of Azure Firewall
3. Advantages of Azure Firewall 
4. Concepts of Firewall
5. What is firewall security? 
6. Application of Firewall

1. What is Azure Firewall? 

Azure Firewall is a managed, cloud-based network security service 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. Log application and network connectivity policies across subscription and virtual networks can be created centrally by you.  

Azure Firewall uses a static public IP address for your virtual network resources allowing outside firewalls to identify traffic originating from your virtual network. The service is fully integrated with Azure Monitor for logging and analytics. What is a firewall and how does it work? A firewall is a security device for both software and hardware, that is used for protecting your network by preventing strangers from procuring uncertified access to confidential data on your computer. It can also stop hostile software from infecting your system. 

We can define the Azure firewall as a managed, cloud-based network security service that protects your Azure Virtual Network resources. It’s a fully stateful firewall as a service with built-in high availability and unrestricted cloud scalability. What is a firewall in-network? It is a system that filters incoming and outgoing network and provides security by applying a set of user-defined rules. 

2. Features of Azure Firewall

What are the features of Azure Firewall? Azure Firewall encompasses the following features: 

1. Built-in high availability: additional load balancers are not required and nothing needs to be configured is the first feature of Azure Firewall. 
2. Unrestricted cloud scalability- peak traffic need not be budgeted as Azure firewall has the capacity to scale up as much as is needed so as to accommodate the flow in network traffic changes. 
3. Application FQDN filtering rules: outbound HTTP/S traffic can be limited, to a specified list of fully qualified domain names, wild cards included. SSL termination is not required in this feature.  
4. Network traffic filtering rules: network filtering rules can be centrally created, allowed or denied by destination IP address and source, protocol, and port. The fully stateful Azure Firewall helps in distinguishing legitimate packets of different types of connections.  
5. FQDN tags: network traffic of Azure service through the firewall is made easier by FQDN tags. For example, if you want the network traffic Windows update to be allowed through your firewall, all that needs to be done is to create an application rule and update the Windows application tag. This allows the Windows update network traffic to flow through the firewall. 
6. Outbound SNAT support: Azure Firewall public IP enables translation of all outbound virtual network IP addresses. So, identifying and allowing traffic originating from virtual networks to remote internet destinations is possible.  
7. Inbound DNAT support: translation (Destination Network Address Translation) and filtration of your Inbound network traffic to your firewall public IP address from the private IP address on your virtual networks ID is made possible.  
8. Azure Monitor logging: integrating all events to Azure Monitor, permitting logs to be archived to a storage account, streaming of events to your Event Hub, or sending them for Log Analysis. 
9. Forced tunneling: configuring Azure Firewall for routing all internet –bound traffic to an appointed next step in place of reaching out to the internet.  
10. Certifications: Azure Firewall is Payment Card Industry (PCI), Service Organization Controls (SOC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and ICSA Labs compliant.  

3. Advantages of Azure Firewall 

What are its advantages? There are many advantages to using the Azure Firewall in your computer system. The capabilities of the firewall do not need much administration as everything is provided without additional cost. This enables you to concentrate on swift app development and speeding up your time in marketing instead of allotting valuable time and manpower resources for managing infrastructure and virtual machinery. Another advantage of a Firewall is that it also enables you to continue developing the application with the help of platforms and open-source tools of your choice for quick and effective delivery of your business demands. All this is possible even without learning new skills. 

4. Concepts of Firewall

What is the concept of a firewall? The concept is that applications are protected from SQL injections and cross-site scripting by the firewall. Sensitive data exfiltration is protected by firewall. Caching of complements, compression, and other traffic optimizations are enabled by firewall. What is firewall and how does it work? 

A firewall basically acts as a fence or filter between your computer system and some other network like the internet. It is somewhat like a traffic controller. Its function is to protect your network and data by regulating your network traffic, stopping the unauthorized entry of network traffic, and granting entry by examining network traffic for anything dangerous like hackers and malware. All-access to your database is prevented by Firewalls until specifications are given as to which computers are permitted. 

Access to the server is granted by firewall depending on the IP address from which each request has originated. It is somewhat like a gate keeper as it keeps an eye on any attempts to gain entry into your operating system by unwarranted sources. Based on the structure firewalls are of three types. Software firewalls for software applications, hardware firewall for the computer hardware, and the rest are some techniques that can be used as software or hardware. 

5. What is firewall security? 

The firewall is a network device, that puts an end to the spread of attacks on computers, by forming a fence in between networks that are trusted and untrusted. Generally operating systems come with a pre-installed firewall. All you need to do is to make sure to turn on those features and that it is made sure to configure your system to automatically run updates. 

6. Applications of Firewall  

What are the applications of firewall? The applications of firewall are Aware Firewall and Proxy firewall. Aware firewall is a type of firewall technology that reconsiders the corporate network security. It can restrict and detect some applications but the traditional model is restricted to blocking addresses or ports. The Proxy firewall filters the messages at the application level itself and thus acts as a security for the system. The other terms by which the proxy firewall is referred to are application Firewall and gateway firewall. 

Conclusion 

An azure firewall is recommended for your computer system as different levels of protection are provided by the firewall. It is essential to assess the amount of protection needed for the computer. It basically acts as a filter and protects your system from other networks such as the internet. It manages your network traffic by protecting and blocking unwanted incoming networks at the same time informing and examining the network traffic for anything that will damage your computers like hackers and malware. 

If you are looking for an extensive course in Cloud Computing, then the 5.5-month online Postgraduate Certificate Program In Cloud Computing offered by Jigsaw Academy can be of help. This program helps interested learners become complete Cloud professionals.