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Microsoft Azure Cloud Security: SoftwareONE, Trend Micro, Rapid7 Make Moves

Microsoft Azure allows IT professionals to build, manage and deploy applications across global networks, yet cloud security challenges plague many organizations. As such, the demand for Azure security solutions is increasing -- triggering ample response from software companies during this week's Microsoft Inspire 2018 worldwide partner conference in Las Vegas.

For example, SoftwareONE, a software and cloud portfolio management provider, and cybersecurity solutions company Trend Micro this week launched the Security for Azure managed security service.

The service enables organizations to plan, configure, implement and support security measures within Microsoft's public cloud, according to a prepared statement. It also continuously monitors an organization's environments and protects Azure deployments across data centers and private and public clouds.

Rapid7 SecOps Gains Integration

Meanwhile, Rapid7 has incorporated Azure support into its Insight security and operations (SecOps) platform. Now, Rapid7 customers can use InsightVM and InsightIDR to identify and analyze threats in Microsoft public cloud environments.

InsightVM for Azure Security Center enables Rapid7 customers to deploy agents to Azure virtual machines (VMs) running Windows and Linux, the company noted. Comparatively, InsightIDR for Azure Active Directory integrates with users' cloud-hosted identity and access management (IAM) tools to promote analytics-driven incident detection in hybrid environments.

Furthermore, InsightVM and InsightIDR empower security teams with visibility, analytics and automation capabilities across Azure environments, Rapid7 indicated. They also provide security teams with risk prioritization insights and remediation steps for cyberattacks.

New Certifications

Microsoft this week launched the "Azure Administrator" certification to teach IT professionals how to implement, monitor and manage various cloud services and components, according to The Register.

The certification requires IT professionals to complete Azure Infrastructure and Deployment and Integration and Security courses, the Register reported. It also enables IT professionals to develop their cloud skill sets and help organizations securely deploy services in the Microsoft public cloud.

Microsoft Public Cloud Adoption

Approximately 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies currently use Azure, according to Microsoft. Moreover, Microsoft has finally launched an Azure-centric partner program for MSPs. Meanwhile, the rising demand for cloud security solutions soon may lead some MSSPs to integrate Azure capabilities into their managed security services.

The global cloud security market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 25.5 percent between 2017 and 2022, industry analyst MarketsandMarkets indicated. Also, this sector could be worth more than $12.7 billion by 2022.

Dan Kobialka

Dan Kobialka is senior contributing editor, MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E. He covers IT security, IT service provider business strategies and partner programs. Dan holds a M.A. in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University. In his free time, Dan enjoys jogging, traveling, playing sports, touring breweries and watching football.