Why Choose Azure Firewall for Network Security

Introduction

Azure Firewall is a managed cloud-based network security service designed to protect your Azure Virtual Network resources. This stateful firewall offers built-in high availability and unlimited cloud scalability, enabling you to create, enforce, and monitor application and network connectivity policies across subscriptions and virtual networks.

Azure Firewall Architecture

Key Features

1. Azure Firewall has built-in high availability.
2. Azure Firewall can be deployed across two or more Availability Zones, providing a 99.99% SLA.
3. Threat intelligence-based filtering allows you to alert or block traffic from malicious IP addresses and domains.
4. Easy deployment through the Azure portal or automation tools.
5. Unified management enables centralized control of firewall rules and policies across multiple environments.
6. With Microsoft Copilot for Security, you can interact with your Azure Firewall using AI-driven insights and recommendations.

Here is the certain Firewall SKU comparison Azure Firewall SKUs

When it comes to Azure Firewall pricing is flexible and based on two key components.

1. Fixed Hourly Rate
   • Deployment Cost You pay a fixed hourly rate for each Azure Firewall instance that you deploy. This covers the core firewall service and its operational capabilities.
   • The fixed cost ensures predictable billing, regardless of the traffic volume handled by the firewall.
2. Data Processing Charges
   • Outbound Data Processed You are charged based on the amount of data processed by the firewall when it inspects and filters outbound traffic. This includes data moving from your virtual network to other Azure regions or to the internet.
   • The data processing cost is calculated per GB of data processed, meaning that higher volumes of traffic passing through the firewall will incur higher charges.
3. Factors Affecting Cost
   • Deployment Type

Deploying Azure Firewall across multiple Availability Zones for high availability comes with the same hourly charge but provides a 99.99% SLA.

• Usage Patterns: Costs increase if your firewall handles large volumes of outbound traffic or inspects a significant number of resources. However, there's no additional charge for inbound traffic.
• Scalability: Azure Firewall scales automatically, so you won't need to pay for unused capacity this makes it more cost-efficient than hardware-based firewalls, especially in fluctuating environments.

Pricing Example

For example, if you have an Azure Firewall deployed and it processes 100 GB of outbound traffic in a month.

• Fixed hourly rate You pay this for every hour the firewall is running.
• Outbound data processing You pay based on the 100 GB of data processed.

By combining a predictable base rate with variable data processing costs, Azure Firewall offers a cost-effective and scalable solution for securing your cloud environment.

Conclusion

Azure Firewall is a scalable and cost-effective solution for securing Azure resources. With high availability, threat filtering, and flexible pricing, it offers robust network protection while simplifying security management.