Palo Alto Networks introduced its cloud-based next-generation firewall (NGFW) for Microsoft Azure as a managed Azure-native independent software vendor (ISV) service.

An Azure-native ISV service enables users to “easily provision, manage, and tightly integrate” ISV software and services — in this case, Palo Alto Networks’ NGFW — on Azure, according to Microsoft.

This allows the NGFW to procure and deploy from the Azure portal “in just a few minutes,” according to Palo Alto Networks. Meanwhile, the security vendor integrates its NGFW with Azure Virtual WAN deployments, aiming for entire network traffic protection.

Additionally, the integration of Microsoft Azure Panorama network security management and the Cloud NGFW for Azure helps extend security policy from on-premises to Azure, enforce the same high standards of security in the cloud, while offering centralized visibility across hybrid-cloud environments, the vendor touted.

“We continue to see enterprises rapidly moving their applications to the cloud, with many choosing Microsoft Azure as their primary cloud provider. We also see organizations making good use of their existing in-house network security expertise, maintaining consistency between security policies for cloud and on-premises, and optimizing management activities,” Omdia Senior Principal Analyst Fernando Montenegro said in a statement. The new service “touches on all of these points by offering a cloud-native managed version of their well-known firewalling capabilities, with the benefit of integration into the Panorama management framework.”

Palo Alto Networks claims the Cloud NGFW for Azure is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and offers capabilities including advanced threat prevention, advanced URL filtering, WildFire and domain name system (DNS) Security. The service is fully managed by the security giant, which means the vendor takes care of scaling, resilience and software updates, according the company.

Microsoft Developer Division President Julia Liuson said this collaboration between Palo Alto Networks and Microsoft Azure expands the company’s ecosystem of native ISV solutions and provides more options for users to meet their security needs, as Azure offers a build-in cloud-native network firewall-as-a-service.

On top of Azure, Palo Alto Networks partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) last year to natively integrate its next-generation firewall into the public cloud. The firewall is embedded within the AWS native services, so customers can set it up through the AWS marketplace in just a few clicks and it shifts operational responsibilities such as deployment and maintenance to Palo Alto Networks.

Oracle Cloud last year also introduced its cloud-native, managed firewall service that is powered by Palo Alto Networks’ VM-series next-generation firewall (NGFW) technology.

Additionally, the security giant teamed up with Google Cloud to provide cloud-delivered, next-generation zero-trust network access (ZTNA) The service brings together Google Cloud’s BeyondCorp Enterprise, which offers zero-trust services, and Prisma Access from Palo Alto Networks, which delivers next-generation ZTNA.