Upwind Partners with Microsoft to Deliver Runtime Security for Azure Workloads

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

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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.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have added $1 billion in White House security upgrades to legislation that would fund immigration enforcement agencies, a proposed boost for President Donald Trump’s ballroom project after a man was charged with trying to assassinate him at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last week.

The GOP bill released late Monday would designate the money for the U.S. Secret Service for “security adjustments and upgrades” related to the ballroom project, which Trump and Republicans have been pushing since Cole Tomas Allen allegedly stormed the April 25 media dinner at the Washington Hilton with guns and knives. The legislation says the money would support enhancements to the ballroom project, “including above-ground and below-ground security features,” but also specifies that the money may not be used for non-security elements.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle praised Republicans for including the money for the “long overdue” project, saying it would “provide the United States Secret Service with the resources they need to fully and completely harden the White House complex, in addition to the many other critical missions for the USSS.”

The money is part of a larger bill to pay for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, as Democrats have been blocking funds for both agencies since mid-February. Congress passed bipartisan legislation to fund the rest of the Homeland Security Department on April 30 after a record-long shutdown, but Republicans are using a partisan budget maneuver to push through the ICE and Border Patrol dollars on their own. The House has not released its bill yet, but the Senate is expected to start voting on its version of the legislation next week.

It is unclear exactly how the $1 billion would be used, and the amount far exceeds the proposed $400 million for construction of the ballroom. The White House has said in court documents that the East Wing project would be “heavily fortified,” including bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility underneath the ballroom. Trump has said it should include bulletproof glass and be able to repel drone attacks.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to block construction of the project, but a federal appeals court said last month that it can continue in the meantime.

The White House has said that private money would pay for the construction but public money would be used for security measures. Some Republicans have suggested that public money pay for all of it, arguing the security breach at the dinner shows the president needs a secure place to host events.

“It would be insane” to hold the dinner at a hotel again, said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who introduced a bill to pay for the ballroom’s construction with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala.

Democrats have said they will oppose any efforts to pay for the ballroom.

“While Americans are struggling to make ends meet as a result of President Trump’s failed policies, Republicans are focused on providing tens of billions of dollars for the President’s vanity ballroom project and cruel mass deportation campaign,” said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the U.S. Secret Service.

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Construction of the new White House Ballroom is seen from a window in the East Room Monday, May 4, 2026, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)