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Upwind Partners with Microsoft to Deliver Runtime Security for Azure Workloads

News

Upwind Partners with Microsoft to Deliver Runtime Security for Azure Workloads
News

News

Upwind Partners with Microsoft to Deliver Runtime Security for Azure Workloads

2026-03-13 05:20 Last Updated At:05:30

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 12, 2026--

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260312841418/en/

By integrating Azure cloud audit logs, CSPM frameworks, Azure Container Registry (ACR) scanning, and streamlining the onboarding of Azure cloud assets, customers gain instant visibility and prioritized, actionable insights. Capabilities that once required multiple disconnected tools and hours of manual investigations are now delivered as a cohesive all-in-one experience, enabling security teams to detect and respond to risks in real time.

Redefining Azure Security

Unlike traditional cloud security tools that rely on static rules, fragmented signals, or posture-only scans, Upwind delivers a comprehensive platform that pairs agentless visibility with eBPF-powered runtime detection. Gartner® notes in its Hype Cycle™ for Cloud Security, 2024, that runtime visibility has become essential for reducing blind spots in dynamic cloud environments - a gap Upwind sees as critical and directly addresses with runtime-first protection embedded into Azure.

By unifying posture management, workload protection, threat detection, vulnerability management, and identity security into one solution, Upwind helps security teams cut through noise, reduce false positives, and act before risks become incidents. For customers in financial services, healthcare, and digital-native enterprises, the partnership delivers advanced protection for critical workloads by combining security with the speed these industries demand.

With its multi-cloud security approach, Upwind ensures seamless protection across Azure and other leading platforms, allowing security teams to manage risks regardless of their cloud environment. Notably, it extends runtime-first visibility and protection into serverless workloads, a defining advantage in the cloud security market.

A Partnership for the Future of Cloud Security

“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.”

“Our partnership with Upwind highlights Microsoft’s commitment to equipping enterprises with the cloud runtime security foundation,” said Tom Davis, Partner at Microsoft Startups at Microsoft. “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.”

Proven Market Momentum and Customer Trust

This partnership comes at a defining moment, with 900% year-over-year revenue growth and 200% logo growth, Upwind has emerged as the challenger to beat, outpacing vendors that stop at posture checks or view the cloud from the outside-in, rather than protecting it from the inside-out. Customers choose Upwind because it delivers what others can’t: real-time, runtime-first security, with accurate detection and protection across every layer of the cloud stack.

“Within the first few hours of connecting to the platform, we already had an actionable list of recommendations to strengthen our AKS security,” said Shahab Siddiqui, Global Head of Cyber Security at Petrofac. “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.”

This momentum has recently been recognized by the analyst community. The company was named CNADR Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan, and recognized as a Leader and Outperformer in Container Security by GigaOm. Upwind was also recognized in the Gartner 2025 Market Guide for CNAPP and included in three Gartner Hype Cycles, and is rated 4.9 out of 5 on Gartner Peer Insights in the CNAPP category. The company was named to Fortune’s Cyber 60, and named to CRN’s Security 100, recognized as a CRN 2025 Stellar Startup in Security, and named a Leader and Emerging Innovator in the QKS Group SPARK Matrix™ for CNAPP 2025, with a top-right quadrant placement in ISMG’s 2025 CNAPP Market Guide. In addition, Upwind was named a two-time Leader in Cloud Application Detection and Response (CADR) and Cloud Security in Latio’s 2025 Cloud Security Market Report.

About Upwind

Upwind is the next-generation cloud security platform built to lead the Runtime revolution. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Upwind brings together a unified vision for cloud and application-layer protection, empowering organizations to run faster, detect threats earlier and secure their environments with unmatched precision. The company was founded by Amiram Shachar and the founding team behind Spot.io (acquired by NetApp for $450 million) and is backed by leading investors including Bessemer, Salesforce Ventures, Greylock, Cyberstarts, Leaders Fund, Craft Ventures,TCV, Alta Park, Cerca Partners, Swish Ventures and Penny Jar Capital. Upwind has raised $430 million since its founding in 2022 and is trusted by forward-thinking enterprises globally to bring real-time runtime intelligence to modern cloud security. For more information or to schedule a demo, visit www.upwind.io.

Upwind, the runtime-first cloud security leader, today announced a partnership with Microsoft to deliver a unified Azure security solution to enterprises worldwide. The partnership brings together runtime protection, posture management, and vulnerability detection in a single experience, giving organizations continuous and integrated visibility across their Azure environments. Available on the Microsoft Marketplace, the solution offers deep alignment with Azure’s services and will expand in the coming months to address identity protection, internet exposure, and GenAI workloads. Upwind’s solution has also earned co-sell status and full Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment decrement eligibility, further streamlining procurement and deployment for enterprise customers through the Microsoft ecosystem.

Upwind, the runtime-first cloud security leader, today announced a partnership with Microsoft to deliver a unified Azure security solution to enterprises worldwide. The partnership brings together runtime protection, posture management, and vulnerability detection in a single experience, giving organizations continuous and integrated visibility across their Azure environments. Available on the Microsoft Marketplace, the solution offers deep alignment with Azure’s services and will expand in the coming months to address identity protection, internet exposure, and GenAI workloads. Upwind’s solution has also earned co-sell status and full Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment decrement eligibility, further streamlining procurement and deployment for enterprise customers through the Microsoft ecosystem.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said there was no imminent threat to the state, despite a warning from the FBI that Iran could send drones to the West Coast in retaliation for war.

Newsom said drone issues “have always been top of mind.”

“We've been aware of that information. ... It's all about a posture of preparedness for worst-case scenarios,” the governor said Wednesday.

The FBI recently warned police departments about Iran and a possible California strike, though the alert also said it was “unverified information.”

“Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran,” the alert said.

“We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack,” the alert said.

The alert was posted on X by an FBI spokesperson after a report by ABC News. Separately, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that the message to law enforcement was a tip based on “unverified intelligence.”

“No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did,” Leavitt said Thursday.

President Donald Trump was asked about it Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews.

“It's being investigated, but you have a lot of things happening. All we can do is take ’em as they come,” Trump said.

Special information bulletins from the FBI are fairly common and can cover everything from possible security issues to recommendations for officer awareness around fentanyl that were sent out when the drug began to proliferate the streets, said Brian Kohlhepp, an adjunct lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Depending on international conflicts, they can be issued monthly or even a few times a month, but urgent information is communicated much differently, he said.

“Generally, bulletins are sent to raise awareness for local law enforcement on something that has hit the FBI’s radar that they feel has enough credibility that they just want to raise that awareness,” said Kohlhepp, who served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Taskforce.

If the information required urgent or immediate action, Kohlhepp said the FBI would be more likely to arrange a conference call with the needed partners or make more urgent contact.

Police in Los Angeles and San Francisco said they were monitoring world events for any risks to their cities. Both said they’re working closely with state and federal authorities.

Associated Press reporter Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

This story has been updated to correct the name of criminal justice expert Brian Kohlhepp. A previous version incorrectly reported his first name as Jonathan.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference at Belvedere Middle School, Oct. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference at Belvedere Middle School, Oct. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

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