Azure Virtual WAN is a networking service that brings together many networking, security, and routing functionalities to provide a single operational interface. It enables organizations to connect their branch offices, remote users, and on-premises data centers to Azure through a global transit net…Azure Virtual WAN is a networking service that brings together many networking, security, and routing functionalities to provide a single operational interface. It enables organizations to connect their branch offices, remote users, and on-premises data centers to Azure through a global transit network architecture. Virtual WAN simplifies large-scale branch connectivity by providing hub-and-spoke connectivity at scale, supporting site-to-site VPN, point-to-site VPN, and ExpressRoute connections all within a unified framework.
A Secured Virtual Hub is an Azure Virtual WAN Hub that has Azure Firewall Manager integrated security and routing capabilities configured within it. When you deploy a Secured Virtual Hub, Azure Firewall is provisioned inside the hub, allowing you to inspect and filter traffic flowing between your virtual networks, branches, and the internet. This creates a centralized security checkpoint for all network traffic passing through your WAN infrastructure.
Key benefits of Secured Virtual Hub include centralized security policy management through Azure Firewall Manager, which allows administrators to define and apply security policies across multiple hubs from a single location. You can configure security policies that control traffic between virtual networks (east-west traffic), traffic to and from the internet (north-south traffic), and traffic between branches.
The architecture supports integration with third-party security-as-a-service providers, giving organizations flexibility in choosing their preferred security solutions. Traffic routing is automatically configured to flow through the firewall, ensuring consistent security enforcement.
Secured Virtual Hub is particularly valuable for enterprises with distributed workloads across multiple Azure regions and hybrid environments. It eliminates the complexity of managing separate firewall instances in each spoke network while providing unified visibility into network traffic patterns and potential security threats through Azure Monitor and diagnostic logging capabilities.
Virtual WAN and Secured Virtual Hub - Complete Guide for AZ-500
Why Virtual WAN and Secured Hub is Important
Virtual WAN (vWAN) with Secured Virtual Hub is a critical component of Azure networking security that enables organizations to implement centralized security management across multiple branch offices, VNets, and cloud resources. For the AZ-500 exam, understanding this technology demonstrates your ability to design and implement secure, scalable network architectures that protect enterprise workloads.
What is Virtual WAN?
Azure Virtual WAN is a networking service that brings together many networking, security, and routing functionalities into a single operational interface. It provides:
• Hub-and-spoke architecture at scale • Connectivity between branches (Site-to-Site VPN) • Remote user connectivity (Point-to-Site VPN) • ExpressRoute integration • VNet-to-VNet transitive connectivity • Azure Firewall integration
What is a Secured Virtual Hub?
A Secured Virtual Hub is an Azure Virtual WAN hub that has Azure Firewall or third-party security providers deployed within it. When you convert a standard Virtual WAN hub to a secured hub, you gain:
• Centralized traffic filtering for all traffic flowing through the hub • Azure Firewall Manager integration for policy management • Threat intelligence-based filtering • FQDN filtering for outbound traffic • Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS)
How Virtual WAN and Secured Hub Works
1. Architecture Components: • Virtual WAN: The parent resource containing one or more hubs • Virtual Hub: Microsoft-managed virtual network serving as the central connectivity point • Azure Firewall: Deployed within the hub for traffic inspection • Firewall Policy: Rules and configurations applied via Azure Firewall Manager
2. Traffic Flow: • All spoke VNets connect to the secured hub • Branch offices connect via VPN or ExpressRoute to the hub • Traffic between any connected resources routes through Azure Firewall • Firewall policies determine what traffic is allowed or denied
3. Security Implementation Steps: • Create a Virtual WAN resource • Create a Virtual Hub within the WAN • Deploy Azure Firewall to create a Secured Hub • Configure Firewall Policies using Azure Firewall Manager • Connect VNets and branches to the hub • Configure routing to send traffic through the firewall
Key Features for Security Engineers
• Azure Firewall Manager: Provides centralized security policy management across multiple secured hubs • Security Partner Providers: Integration with third-party SECaaS offerings like Zscaler, Check Point, and iboss • Private Traffic Filtering: Inspect traffic between VNets and branches • Internet Traffic Filtering: Control and monitor outbound internet access • Routing Intent: Simplifies routing configuration by specifying internet and private traffic policies
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Virtual WAN and Secured Virtual Hub
Tip 1: Understand the Terminology Know the difference between a Virtual Hub and a Secured Virtual Hub. A secured hub specifically has Azure Firewall or a security partner provider deployed.
Tip 2: Remember Firewall Manager's Role Azure Firewall Manager is the management plane for Secured Virtual Hubs. Questions about centralized policy management across multiple hubs point to Firewall Manager.
Tip 3: Know When to Use Secured Hub vs. Hub VNet Use Secured Virtual Hub when you need: • Large-scale branch connectivity • Transitive routing between many VNets • Centralized security management Use Hub VNet with Azure Firewall for simpler topologies.
Tip 4: Routing Intent is Key For questions about simplifying traffic routing through the firewall, routing intent allows you to configure internet and private traffic policies at the hub level.
Tip 5: Remember SKU Differences Virtual WAN has two SKUs: Basic and Standard. Only Standard SKU supports Azure Firewall and secured hub capabilities.
Tip 6: Third-Party Integration Questions mentioning cloud-based security services or SECaaS may involve Security Partner Providers in secured hubs.
Tip 7: Common Exam Scenarios • Securing traffic between spoke VNets → Secured Hub with firewall rules • Centralized internet egress for multiple regions → Multiple secured hubs with Firewall Manager • Hybrid connectivity with traffic inspection → Secured Hub with ExpressRoute/VPN and Azure Firewall
Tip 8: Cost and Performance Considerations Remember that traffic through Azure Firewall incurs processing charges. Questions about cost optimization might involve selective traffic routing.