Microsoft expands Azure DDoS attack protection service availability

Microsoft has introduced Azure DDoS IP Protection, a new Azure DDoS Protection SKU aimed at bolstering small businesses' defenses against distributed denial-of-service attacks in public preview, according to The Register. DDoS IP Protection could be availed by small businesses for a monthly fee to have access to similar services leveraged by larger organizations, noted Microsoft Product Manager for Cloud Security Engineering Saleem Bseeu. "We now have a DDoS per IP SKU that can support the SMBs/SMEs to curb the Layer 3 and Layer 4 DDoS attacks for their public IPs that includes Firewalls, Application Gateways and Load Balancers. This also ensures that all customers using Public IPs on Azure are protected," wrote Bseeu. The recent increase in DDoS attack prevalence has made defenses more crucial than ever. "While large organizations have the resources needed to protect themselves, small businesses often lack the budget and qualified staff to defend against DDoS attacks," Bseeu added.