With the recent innovations introduced in Tufin’s Orchestration Suite R24-2 release, our partnership with Microsoft offers new capabilities for managing Network Security Groups (NSGs) and handling Azure firewall change requests as well as accelerating the deployment of policies to the Azure Firewall using Microsoft’s new Azure Firewall Save and Commit feature.
This blog explores how Tufin’s enhanced features, including Azure’s Save & Commit functionality, can transform how you manage your hybrid cloud infrastructure.
Tufin and Microsoft: A Synergistic Approach to Network Security
The partnership between Tufin and Microsoft brings together advanced network security solutions and cloud infrastructure to deliver comprehensive protection and streamlined management for hybrid environments.
This collaboration is especially impactful for organizations leveraging Azure and on-premises resources, as it integrates Tufin’s robust firewall management capabilities with Microsoft’s cloud innovation.
Top Use Cases Tufin Supports
Enhanced Network Security Group (NSG) Management
Tufin’s integration with Microsoft Azure allows for the more efficient management of Network Security Groups (NSGs). This capability simplifies defining and enforcing security policies for virtual networks, ensuring that inbound and outbound traffic is tightly controlled. Avoid manual, unsupervised changes in NSGs which often result in misconfigurations and frustration for IT teams.
By using Tufin’s tools, you can achieve better visibility and control over your NSGs, making adhering to security policies and regulatory requirements easier.
Streamlined Firewall Change Requests
Managing firewall change requests can be cumbersome, especially in a hybrid environment where changes must be synchronized across cloud and on-premises firewalls.
Tufin’s solution facilitates a more efficient change request workflow, reducing the complexity and risk associated with firewall management. This feature ensures that changes are accurately applied and documented, improving overall security posture and compliance.
Automated Policy Optimization
Tufin’s tools for firewall policy optimization help organizations maintain an efficient and secure network configuration. By automating the optimization process, Tufin reduces the manual effort required to review and adjust firewall rules.
Eliminating redundant or conflicting rules enhances security and improves network performance.
Enhanced Control
Digital Transformation projects, COVID and rapid cloud adoption often resulted in network security teams losing control of security policy in the cloud to the application developers. Tufin and Microsoft enable IT to take back control and to holistically manage security policy from a single platform.
Innovations in R24-2: Introducing Save & Commit for Azure Firewall Policy
One of the standout features in Tufin’s R24-2 release is the enhanced Save & Commit functionality for Azure Firewall policies. Customers can now leverage Tufin’s design suggestions, and then implement the change in the Azure Firewall policy using the Azure Save and Commit feature!
This innovation addresses several challenges that users face when updating firewall rules, including long update times and complexity in making multiple changes.
Long Update Times
Previously, updating firewall rules and policy properties could take a significant amount of time, with some deployments extending beyond 45 minutes. The new Save & Commit feature addresses this by allowing users to make changes quickly and efficiently.
Complexity in Making Multiple Changes – Microsoft Azure’s new Firewall Policy Save & Commit feature
Organizations are required to make frequent changes to their Firewall Policy for several reasons: onboarding a new application or workload, patching security issue, or for maintenance and optimizing their policy by merging rules or deleting unused rules. These updates can be performed by multiple people, while each update can take up to a few minutes to be deployed.
With Azure Firewall Policy Save & Commit, you can now update your policy in a 2-phased approach:
- Save: Make as many changes as needed, by one or more people, which will be saved in a temporary policy draft (which is cloned from your current applied policy). These changes are extremely fast to make.
- Commit: Apply the changes altogether by deploying the draft version and make it your current applied policy.
How easy is it to use the Firewall Save and Commit feature? Simple! On the Azure Firewall Policy blade, click “Draft & Deployment”, then select “Create a new draft.” This will create a new draft associated with this policy, which is a 1-1 copy of your current applied policy.
This feature allows for more flexibility and control, enabling users to manage policy changes with minimal disruption.
Conclusion
The partnership between Tufin and Microsoft enhances the ability to manage and secure hybrid environments effectively.
By leveraging Tufin’s advanced features and Microsoft’s cloud innovations, organizations can achieve higher security and operational efficiency. The R24-2 release, with its new Save & Commit functionality, is a testament to the ongoing commitment to improving network security and management.
For more information on optimizing firewall rules and automating compliance, visit Tufin’s Firewall Optimization solutions and explore insights into network security automation.
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