F5 Advanced WAF vs Microsoft Azure comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between F5 Advanced WAF and Microsoft Azure based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Amazon and others in Web Application Firewall (WAF).
To learn more, read our detailed Web Application Firewall (WAF) Report (Updated: April 2023).
708,243 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Q&A Highlights
Question: Does F5 Advanced WAF work with Azure App Service?
Answer: Sure. It's available on the Azure Marketplace
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The most valuable features of F5 Advanced WAF are SSL uploading, signature, and anomaly detection. It is overall a high-quality solution.""The most valuable feature of F5 Advanced WAF is its grand unity of the implementation, where you have the freedom to configure based on how it affects your use case or your organization. With the default setting of implicit deny, you can gradually start defining and deploying the tool to align with your environment, whether it is outdated, recent, or futuristic. This allows you to customize the solution to protect you from threat actors. You have the ability to define what the advanced threat act should do - whether it should alert, deny, or both - and it will deliver based on your configuration. Unlike other online solutions, F5 Advanced WAF provides flexibility to deliver to your unique environment the way you want.""Feature-wise, they are always cutting edge and up-to-date. Many features aren't available via competitors. There's always a lot of enhanced critical features that just aren't available through anyone else, or, if they are, are too lightweight.""The most valuable features of F5 Advanced WAF are the overall capabilities, there is not a comparable solution on the market.""I like the security features, especially against SQL injection.""The solution is stable.""It's flexible and powerful, and the users can input their own rules to the system.""Identification, ease of use, and ease of modifying it to most of our needs are valuable."

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"I have not had a problem with the stability. It is reliable.""The solution has enabled us to provide advanced indicators and analytics to the client on their data.""The most valuable aspect of the solution is the limitless possibilities of the infrastructure.""Databricks is really nice because you have the power to process lots of data and you can create queries and provide big analysis for the business using a robust cluster.""Azure is very flexible.""The pricing is quite good, and it is designed as pay-per-use.""In Azure, everything is pretty straightforward. Once you know it, the platform is very easy to use.""It is easy to deploy."

More Microsoft Azure Pros →

Cons
"I would like to see additional controls.""The solution could improve by having an independent capture module. It has a built feature that you can deploy the capture on your published website. However, it's not very user-friendly. When you compare this feature to Google Capture or other enterprise captures, they are very simple. It needs a good connection to the F5 Advanced WAF sandbox. When you implement this feature in the data center, you may suffer some complications with connecting to the F5 Advanced WAF sandbox. This should be improved in the future.""We get false positives sometimes.""The delay times on firmware patches and software updates could be better and improved.""While F5 Advanced WAF does limit the number of partners in certain regions to ensure successful business transactions, they could also benefit from expanding their partnerships and making it easier for more people to learn about and become experts in F5 Advanced WAF. By doing so, they could increase the reach and exposure of their solution, similar to how Cisco has become widely recognized in the security industry.""I would like to see a better interface and better documentation compatibility with other products. It's more complicated with OWASP.""We usually use a third-party tool for logging and reporting. It would be nice if we could do that right on this solution. They have one, but it's not very stable. Logging and reporting effectively would be a big enhancement.""The solution should include RASP for another level of protection at the code itself."

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"The cost management and billing section features could be improved.""The deployment was quite complex.""There are times when using a service in Microsoft Azure can be confusing because you have four or five options that do similar operations. It would be helpful if there was a clear decision tree around those features. Microsoft does provide a lot of decision trees around a lot of their services, but it's not for everything.""The pricing could be better.""Pricing is one area where Azure has room for improvement. There should be some due consideration. Azure has solved some issues with pricing from the development team's standpoint, but it is still quite costly. They should also offer a trial period for the individual platform solutions. I think that would be pretty handy for the developers.""I would like to see better policy-based management and everything related to security management could have been better integrated.""The support subscription models need improvement.""Use of the solution could be easier."

More Microsoft Azure Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "I don't have any issue with the pricing of this solution."
  • "There is an annual subscription for this solution."
  • "The price of the solution is reasonable when compared with other products, such as FortiWeb. I am very satisfied with the price."
  • "Pricing for this solution is higher than average."
  • "There is a perpetual license that comes with your hardware. There is also an additional fee for support."
  • "F5 Advanced WAF pricing structure should be adjusted to meet the need of small to medium-sized companies."
  • "F5 Advanced WAF technical support comes at a cost, and it's expensive."
  • "As far as the pricing of F5 Advanced WAF I would rate it a four out of five depending on what features I am looking for. Imperva is more expensive."
  • More F5 Advanced WAF Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The licensing price is fine."
  • "The price of the solution could be cheaper."
  • "I am currently on a pay-as-you-go subscription and my customers are going to be on a three-year contract. For what is offered in the three-year package it is quite reasonably priced."
  • "We pay for the license on a monthly basis."
  • "We have a subscription and the price is reasonable."
  • "The license is on a monthly basis."
  • "It is paid on a per-use basis."
  • "With adequate knowledge, I think you can come up with a good model where the pricing won't be a constraint."
  • More Microsoft Azure Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Answers from the Community
    Anonymous User
    Georges Samaha - PeerSpot reviewerGeorges Samaha
    Reseller

    Yes, it is definitely supported on most cloud platforms.


    You can find all needed info regarding Azure cloud on this link: https://azuremarketplace.micro

    Rajan K - PeerSpot reviewerRajan K
    User

    Yes, it's available. 


    You may look at F5 Centralized Management too to bring your policies and profiles from on-prem to the cloud.



    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Customers find the load balancer feature as the most valuable.
    Top Answer:F5 Advanced WAF is not a cost-effective solution. Although they are attempting to reduce prices with their VE and cloud options, they are more expensive than other solutions. The solution is more… more »
    Top Answer:The tool needs to improve its pricing.
    Top Answer:IBM Public Cloud is IBM’s Platform-as-a-Service. It aims to provide organizations with a secure cloud environment to manage data and applications. One of the features we like is the cloud activity… more »
    Top Answer:One of the best features of SAP Cloud Platform is that it is web-based and you can log in from anywhere in the world. SAP Cloud Platform is suitable for companies of any size; it works well with both… more »
    Top Answer:I would recommend Google Firebase instead of Microsoft Azure, simply for the array of features that it has to offer. In particular, the Firebase library grants you access to a shared data structure… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    12,895
    Comparisons
    10,273
    Reviews
    25
    Average Words per Review
    422
    Rating
    8.4
    Views
    59,161
    Comparisons
    49,995
    Reviews
    109
    Average Words per Review
    434
    Rating
    8.4
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Windows Azure, Azure, MS Azure
    Learn More
    Overview

    F5 Advanced WAF is a web application security solution for financial and government sectors, e-commerce, and public-facing websites. It offers protection against various attacks, including botnets, web scraping, and foreign entities. The solution can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud and is often used with other security tools. Its most valuable features include DDoS and DNS attack protection, SSL uploading, anomaly detection, and the ability to input custom rules. 

    F5 Advanced WAF has helped organizations to expose more services to the public while providing an extra layer of protection, preventing revenue loss, and securing connectivity.

    Windows Azure is Microsoft's cloud platform, where developers can create, deploy, and maintain their apps. This cloud application platform allows developers to concentrate on the actual applications, while it takes care of all the elements behind the apps.

    Windows Azure works across multiple frameworks and languages. It is fully scalable, localized in that it is hosted globally in many datacenters, and has widespread capabilities with elements of application development, deployment, and management.

    Azure is comprised of several different service modules, including Infrastructure; Web; Mobile; Dev & Test; Big Data; Media;Storage, Backup & Recovery; and Identity & Access Management.

    Microsoft Azure works as a:

    1. Platform as a service (PaaS)
    2. Software as a service (SaaS)
    3. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

    Microsoft Azure is available:

    • On-premises
    • Hybrid
    • Multi-cloud
    • At the edge

    Compared to its competitors, Microsoft Azure:

    • Has more affordable features
    • Has easier migration for organizations already using other Microsoft tools
    • Has several educational resources available
    • Provides robust support
    • Is ideal for small and large businesses

    Microsoft Azure Features:

    • Scalability
    • Stability
    • Flexibility
    • Azure Site Recovery
    • Active Directory
    • Monitoring features
    • Cloud-based
    • Automated tasks
    • Change capability cadence
    • Showback capabilities
    • Information protection
    • Azure Data Lake
    • Excellent portal
    • Intuitive user interface
    • Remote desktop
    • Fast provisioning
    • Data security
    • Data resiliency
    • Speed of service
    • Integrated delivery pipeline
    • Disaster recovery
    • Robust templates
    • Flexible coding languages
    • Virtual systems testing

    Benefits of Microsoft Azure:

    • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Because Microsoft Azure is an IaaS, organizations can deploy as well as manage applications easily and quickly. Azure also provides you with the ability to customize the cloud software to meet your specific business needs.
    • Seamless integration: Microsoft Azure is built to seamlessly integrate with existing IT departments via hybrid databases, secure private connections, and storage solutions.
    • Cost-effective: Because Azure can harmoniously exist in your business environment with your data center, it is a very cost-effective solution.
    • Analytics support: Azure is designed with built-in support that is used to analyze data and provide key insights. Azure offers Cortana Analytics, Stream Analytics, Machine Learning, and SQL services.
    • Unique storage system: Compared to other cloud services, Microsoft Azure has more data centers and delivery points, which helps create an optimal user experience and also helps deliver content faster. In addition, Microsoft Azure makes it possible for organizations to exchange content across several virtual machines.
    • Enhanced flexibility: Azure provides extreme flexibility by allowing you to choose any level of functionality you require. It also supports many of the same technologies IT teams and developers usually depend on, making it easier for them to manage.
    • Easy implementation: Microsoft Azure is easy and quick to deploy. If necessary, you can change web apps to Azure with almost zero downtime.

    Reviews from Real Users:

    "It is a flexible solution that is straightforward to use," says the principal consultant at a computer software company.

    OmarJ., future datacenter consultant: Microsoft Azure Cloud at a tech company, adds that "The user interface is very nice and makes everything easy to use."

    You can build an environment in minutes. It's very good in terms of being an infrastructure as a service, and I found that really fascinating,” says an information technology consultant at a computer software company.

    "I think Azure's level of automation to achieve efficiency or agility is valuable. I also like the change capability cadence, the showback capabilities, and understanding what our costs are," says an enterprise architect at an energy/utilities company.

    Marco C., Ing. at Wolters Kluwer, says "The valuable features of Microsoft Azure are that it is cloud-based and has good storage. The storage is completely managed by Azure. We do not need to do any patching of security because it is handled by Azure which is a benefit. The solution is fully compatible with the Microsoft technology stack and is very scalable."

    "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure is it has everything together in one place. It is one large tool with lots of small tools that are updated often," says the owner of a media company.



    Offer
    Learn more about F5 Advanced WAF
    Learn more about Microsoft Azure
    Sample Customers
    MAXIMUS, Vivo, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office, City Bank
    BMW, Toyota, easyJet, NBC Sports, HarperCollins, Aviva, TalkTalk Business, Avanade, and Telenor.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm37%
    Computer Software Company26%
    Non Tech Company7%
    Media Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Comms Service Provider10%
    Government7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Financial Services Firm12%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization17%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise25%
    Large Enterprise48%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise65%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business39%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise44%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise60%
    Buyer's Guide
    Web Application Firewall (WAF)
    April 2023
    Find out what your peers are saying about Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Amazon and others in Web Application Firewall (WAF). Updated: April 2023.
    708,243 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    F5 Advanced WAF is ranked 4th in Web Application Firewall (WAF) with 31 reviews while Microsoft Azure is ranked 1st in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) with 112 reviews. F5 Advanced WAF is rated 8.4, while Microsoft Azure is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of F5 Advanced WAF writes "Flexible configuration, reliable, and highly professional support". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft Azure writes "Optimized cloud solution with reliable recovery and fail services". F5 Advanced WAF is most compared with Fortinet FortiWeb, Microsoft Azure Application Gateway, Imperva Web Application Firewall, AWS WAF and NGINX App Protect, whereas Microsoft Azure is most compared with Oracle Cloud Platform, Google Firebase, Amazon AWS, SAP Cloud Platform and Pivotal Cloud Foundry.

    We monitor all Web Application Firewall (WAF) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.