Network security specialist Palo Alto Networks Inc. today announced a new partnership with Amazon Web Services Inc. to provide a next-generation firewall service for securing AWS deployments.

Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW for AWS, exclusively available on AWS, delivers Palo Alto Networks’ security to organizations in a few clicks. Pitched as enabling organizations to speed their pace of innovation while remaining highly secure, Cloud NGFW for AWS recognizes that customers want to dedicate their time and resources to building applications and to run their business instead of managing cloud network security infrastructure.

Cloud NGFW for AWS is said to shift operational responsibility, including deployment, maintenance, availability and scale, to Palo Alto Networks.

The service includes advanced URL filtering that uses deep learning to help stop zero-day or newly discovered web threats in real time while allowing applications to connect to legitimate web-based services securely. Threat prevention in the service helps prevent known vulnerability exploits, malware and command-and-control communication. App-ID reduces the attack risk by controlling traffic based on patented Layer 7 traffic classification.

One of the most significant selling points of the service is the ease of deployment. Cloud NGFW can be procured in AWS Marketplace and then quickly set up and integrated with AWS services, enabling additional network security in minutes. As Cloud NGFW is a managed cloud service, there’s no need for users to worry about deploying, updating or managing infrastructure, according to the companies.

Cloud NGFW for AWS leverages AWS Gateway Load Balancer to provide high availability, elastic scaling on-demand to meet unpredictable throughput needs. The service is also integrated with AWS Firewall Manager to deliver consistent firewall policy management across multiple AWS accounts and virtual private clouds.

“A key reason that companies have embraced the cloud is that they want to concentrate on their core competencies and leave other tasks like infrastructure and underlying services to experts like AWS,” Anand Oswal, senior vice president of network security at Palo Alto Networks, said in a statement. “Now, as cyberattacks continue to grow in frequency and sophistication, organizations are looking for network security that is as easy to deploy as other native AWS services.”

Image: Palo Alto Networks