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.

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least 16 people, including two children, hours after reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement. The persistent fighting threatened an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said the strikes hit the southern town of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages. At least seven people remained trapped under the rubble, it said.

Mediators were scrambling to halt the fighting between Israel and the militant Lebanese Hezbollah group, after a heavy exchange on Friday killed at least 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.

An Israeli military official said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting the military to start targeting the militant group there. The official spoke anonymously in line with regulations. The army said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and militants in southern Lebanon, including rocket-launching positions and Hezbollah command centers.

On Friday, Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, said on X that Israel “remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” if Hezbollah honors the agreement and ceases hostilities.

On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had committed to the ceasefire but blamed Israel for violating it several times on Friday night. A statement issued by the group's military wing said it would abide by the ceasefire but would also repel attacks by Israeli troops.

Hezbollah and Israel went to war just days after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel and Israel seizing large swaths of southern Lebanon.

The interim U.S.-Iran agreement signed this week has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed as the war unfolded — cutting off the global economy from significant supplies of oil and natural gas. The deal also envisages the relaunch of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, a core issue in the war.

Neither Israel nor Hezbollah are signatories to the deal, which calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon and for the country's sovereignty to be respected. With the fighting continuing, the accord is under threat and U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland, planned to start Friday, have been delayed, with no new date announced.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal.

A new round of U.S.-backed talks between the Lebanese government and Israel is expected to take place in Washington next week.

A strike on the village of Barish killed four members of a family, parents and two children. In Arab Salim village, a body was pulled from a destroyed house, and in the villages of Doueir and Kfar Rumman, drone strikes killed a person on a motorcycle and a Lebanese soldier. Nine people were killed in strikes in the villages of Qannarit, Sohmor and Shehour.

Plumes of smoke rose into the sky over southern Lebanon Saturday and Israeli jets flew low over the coastal city of Tyre.

The city's residents told The Associated Press they were relieved that Tyre had been spared in recent days but the sounds of Israeli planes reminded them the war is not over. Many doubted a ceasefire — even if agreed on — would hold.

“Our entire lives would change if there’s a ceasefire,” said Hussein Khoshman, a Tyre resident.

Netanyahu's office did not immediately comment on the ceasefire efforts. On Friday, Netanyahu posted on X that, on his orders, the Israeli army had “struck powerfully” 150 Hezbollah targets, killing dozens of militants.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the Israeli forces were operating in a “forward defense zone” and would continue doing so.

Iranian officials did not travel as planned to Switzerland, insisting that the fighting in Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also postponed his trip.

On Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the semi-official ISNA news agency that Pakistan's interior minister will arrive in Iran as part of continued negotiation efforts. Baghaei had said earlier that consultations through mediators were ongoing regarding the next phase of negotiations to draft a final U.S.-Iran agreement.

Because the initial deal was signed digitally earlier this week, the talks in Switzerland were not urgent, and plans were underway to hold a meeting in the coming days, he said.

The talks in Switzerland were expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran maintains it's for peaceful purposes only, though it has a large stockpile of uranium enriched to higher levels that are a step short of weapons' grade. That uranium could be used to build multiple atomic bombs, should Tehran choose to do so, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Those talks are expected to be difficult. The 2015 nuclear deal, which U.S. President Donald Trump scrapped during his first term, took more than 18 months to negotiate.

The interim deal gives negotiators 60 days to come up with a nuclear agreement, but that can be extended. It outlines lucrative incentives if Iran does reach a new agreement, including the eventual lifting of all international sanctions and a $300 billion fund for postwar reconstruction.

Iran has already won some concessions. Following the signing of the interim deal, the U.S. lifted its blockade of Iran’s ports and is allowing it to sell its oil freely. The deal also calls for Iran’s assets to be unfrozen — though it’s not clear how quickly.

Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Beirut and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

Buildings damaged by Israeli strikes are seen through shattered glass from the Jabal Amel Hospital in the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)