AWS WAF and Azure Web Application Firewall are competitors in the cloud security segment. Azure WAF appears to have the upper hand due to its seamless integration with Microsoft services and comprehensive security features.
Features: AWS WAF is notable for customizable rule sets, a scalable security framework, and strong bot attack handling. Azure WAF offers seamless integration with Microsoft's ecosystem, DDoS protection, and high-level security for asset tokens and keys.
Room for Improvement: AWS WAF users seek improved rule implementation, automation, and DDoS protection. Challenges in rule management and AWS-managed rule visibility are noted. Azure WAF users report inadequate documentation and community support, with calls for better third-party integration and a clearer user interface.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: AWS WAF is valued for its smooth AWS integration, though technical support is mixed. Azure WAF provides flexible deployment options across cloud environments, benefitting from Microsoft's enterprise agreements, but faces challenges in documentation and customer interactions.
Pricing and ROI: AWS WAF's pay-as-you-go model is flexible but potentially costly with high usage. Azure WAF is praised for competitive pricing in enterprise agreements. AWS is noted for affordability, while Azure's pricing is justified by superior integration and scalability benefits, both offering ROI through heightened security.
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Recently, they have been under serious attack with major exploits, such as Log4j, affecting Fortinet and Palo Alto, and even Cisco and VMware.
Resolving issues can take time because the support personnel may lack product expertise, leading to delays.
I hardly use Microsoft's paid subscription or maintenance services, however, whenever I send them a note, they have been responsive.
I am very satisfied with the response from Microsoft dedicated architects if it happens that I have to call for their support.
Some Azure applications, like the web application firewall, require a certain level of SKU for hosting setup.
In terms of reliability, I would rate AWS WAF about six out of ten due to the need for improved signature sets.
Very rarely do I see any latency issues.
Compared to firewalls, WAFs generally provide limited stateful analysis capabilities.
Features like bot protection or DDoS mitigation, available with other WAF vendors, do not come natively with AWS WAF.
Upgrading the platform regularly is necessary for security, however, frequent updates every six months or year from Azure can be a maintenance overhead.
Due to our status as an AWS shop, AWS WAF is cost-effective for us, and we benefit from discounts due to our extensive use of AWS services.
It is even a lower cost compared to AWS and GCP.
Sometimes, when opting for a higher SKU, it's not the WAF itself that's costly but the additional requirements.
The cloud-native nature of AWS is crucial since most of our workload is in AWS, making AWS WAF native to Amazon Web Services.
AWS WAF is not stateful, it offers a time-saving solution with its custom rulesets that enhance security and simplify management.
With Microsoft, everything is within a single suite, making it easier to configure and plan.
It is almost impossible to access these assets from outside, requiring a very skilled attacker to obtain asset tokens of a customer using Azure.
AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a firewall security system that monitors incoming and outgoing traffic for applications and websites based on your pre-defined web security rules. AWS WAF defends applications and websites from common Web attacks that could otherwise damage application performance and availability and compromise security.
You can create rules in AWS WAF that can include blocking specific HTTP headers, IP addresses, and URI strings. These rules prevent common web exploits, such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting. Once defined, new rules are deployed within seconds, and can easily be tracked so you can monitor their effectiveness via real-time insights. These saved metrics include URIs, IP addresses, and geo locations for each request.
AWS WAF Features
Some of the solution's top features include:
Reviews from Real Users
AWS WAF stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its user-friendly interface and its integration capabilities.
Kavin K., a security analyst at M2P Fintech, writes, “I believe the most impressive features are integration and ease of use. The best part of AWS WAF is the cloud-native WAF integration. There aren't any hidden deployments or hidden infrastructure which we have to maintain to have AWS WAF. AWS maintains everything; all we have to do is click the button, and WAF will be activated. Any packet coming through the internet will be filtered through.”
Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) provides centralized protection of your web applications from common exploits and vulnerabilities. Web applications are increasingly targeted by malicious attacks that exploit commonly known vulnerabilities. SQL injection and cross-site scripting are among the most common attacks.
To learn more about our solution, ask questions, and share feedback, join our Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Community.
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