Upwind, a runtime-first cloud security company, has announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to deliver a unified security solution for enterprises operating in Microsoft Azure environments. The collaboration combines runtime protection, cloud posture management, and vulnerability detection into a single integrated platform, enabling organizations to gain deeper visibility and stronger protection across their Azure infrastructure.
Through this partnership, Upwind’s security capabilities are now available on the Microsoft Marketplace, making it easier for enterprises to deploy and scale cloud security directly within their Azure ecosystems. In addition, the solution aligns closely with Azure-native services and will expand over time to include identity protection, internet exposure monitoring, and security support for emerging Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) workloads.
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One of the key benefits of this integration is simplified procurement and deployment for enterprise customers. The solution has achieved co-sell status within the Microsoft partner ecosystem and qualifies for Azure Consumption Commitment eligibility, allowing organizations to adopt the platform through their existing Microsoft cloud investments.
“Upwind’s partnership with Microsoft embeds runtime-first protection directly into the fabric of Azure, from audit logs to container registries, giving customers the ability to discover and act on threats before they become breaches.” – Amiram Shachar, CEO
By integrating Azure cloud audit logs, Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) frameworks, and scanning capabilities for Azure Container Registry (ACR), the platform provides organizations with instant visibility into their cloud assets. As a result, security teams can quickly identify risks and receive prioritized recommendations without relying on multiple disconnected tools or time-consuming manual investigations.
Traditionally, many cloud security tools depend on static rules or posture-only assessments, which often create fragmented insights and delayed threat detection. However, Upwind’s platform takes a different approach by combining agentless monitoring with **eBPF-powered runtime detection. This enables continuous monitoring of workloads and real-time identification of threats within dynamic cloud environments.
Industry analysts have also highlighted the growing importance of runtime visibility. For example, research from Gartner emphasizes that modern cloud infrastructures require deeper runtime monitoring to eliminate blind spots in rapidly changing environments. By embedding runtime-first security directly into Azure, Upwind aims to address these challenges and help organizations detect threats before they escalate into major incidents.
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In addition, the platform unifies several security capabilities such as workload protection, threat detection, vulnerability management, posture assessment, and identity security into one consolidated interface. Consequently, security teams can reduce alert noise, minimize false positives, and focus on the vulnerabilities that pose the highest risk.
“Cloud innovation is accelerating faster than traditional security platforms can keep up,” said Amiram Shachar, CEO and co-founder of Upwind. “Upwind solves that problem, and by partnering with Microsoft we’re embedding our runtime-first protection directly into the fabric of Azure, from audit logs to container registries, giving customers the ability to discover and act on threats before they become breaches. This is both an integration and a redefinition of how cloud security should work, setting a new benchmark for protecting enterprises across Azure and their mutli-cloud investments.”
Tom Davis, Partner at Microsoft Startups at Microsoft, also highlighted the strategic value of the collaboration.
“Our partnership with Upwind highlights Microsoft’s commitment to equipping enterprises with the cloud runtime security foundation,” Davis said. “By bringing runtime-first protection into Azure-native services and the Microsoft Marketplace, we’re enabling customers to, for the first time, pinpoint the vulnerabilities that matter most in real time, cut through the alert noise that slows down security teams, and act on what’s truly exploitable.”
The partnership also arrives during a period of rapid growth for Upwind. The company reports 900% year-over-year revenue growth and 200% customer logo growth, signaling strong market demand for runtime-first cloud security solutions. Unlike traditional vendors that focus only on external posture checks, Upwind emphasizes real-time protection from within the cloud environment.
Customer feedback also reflects the impact of the platform. Shahab Siddiqui, Global Head of Cyber Security at Petrofac, shared his organization’s early experience with the technology.
“Within the first few hours of connecting to the platform, we already had an actionable list of recommendations to strengthen our AKS security,” Siddiqui said. “Upwind has already shown us the power of runtime visibility, and its growing partnership with Microsoft gives us confidence that these capabilities will continue to be deeply integrated into our Azure environment. We’re excited to see how this partnership will further simplify our operations and strengthen our security posture moving forward.”
Overall, the collaboration between Upwind and Microsoft signals a broader shift toward integrated, runtime-first cloud security. As enterprises continue to expand multi-cloud strategies and adopt advanced workloads, including AI-driven applications, unified platforms like this partnership aim to deliver the continuous protection and visibility modern cloud environments demand.
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