As the cloud computing industry grows, it is vital to ensure that your Azure controls are up-to-date.
The following article discusses how to implement controls for your Azure subscriptions and strengthen your security posture against common threats such as malware or compromised user credentials. Click here for more details about Azure.
What is Azure Security?
Azure security is the practice of protecting your Azure cloud resources from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or destruction. The goal of Azure security is to enable you to use Azure services to achieve your business goals securely.
How Can You Secure Your Azure Subscriptions?
There are several ways that you can secure your Azure subscriptions.
The following are the common ways to do it.
- Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
- Restrict access to your Azure resources.
- Understand and use role-based access control (RBAC).
- Implement malware protection.
- Monitor activity in your Azure subscriptions.
- Regularly audit your environment.
- Integrate Azure Security Center with your SIEM to further enhance your security posture.
Why Should You Strengthen Azure Security Setup?
Azure is an effective cloud platform that is frequently targeted by cybercriminals. By taking steps to secure your Azure subscriptions, you can help protect yourself, your organization, and your data.
In addition to the common threats mentioned above, there are several other reasons why you should strengthen your Azure security setup.
Compliance
Many organizations must meet specific compliance requirements, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Azure security can help you meet these requirements.
Increased Sophistication of Cyber Attacks
Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, targeting Azure resources more frequently. By strengthening your Azure security setup, you can help protect yourself from these attacks.
Business Growth
As your business grows, so does the amount of data you need to protect. Azure security can help you protect your data while still enabling you to use the cloud for business growth.
Regulatory Changes
Organizations are increasingly required to store data in certain regions or follow specific security protocols. Azure security can help you meet these requirements.
Increased Use of the Cloud
The cloud is becoming more and more popular, and cybercriminals are taking advantage of this by targeting cloud platforms such as Azure. By strengthening your Azure security setup, you can help protect your organization from these threats.
Data Classification
Many organizations choose to classify their data based on the level of sensitivity. Azure security can help you protect your organization’s high-value data while leaving low-value data exposed for improved agility and operational efficiency.
Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
Organizations are increasingly planning for business continuity in the event of a disaster. Azure security can help you protect your data and applications in the event of a disaster.
Breach Response
Organizations that experience a data breach are subject to new or changing compliance requirements. Azure security can help you respond to and meet these new compliance standards.
Internal Threats
The Azure security center is designed to provide visibility into activity on your Azure resources, including detecting threats originating from within your organization, such as compromised devices or malware.
Why Should You Use Role-Based Access Control?
Based on a recent study, on average, each computer is attacked 2,244 times every day.
Role-based access control (RBAC) enables you to assign permissions to users based on their job functions or tasks instead of assigning them to specific user accounts.
For example, if a consultant only needs access to the Azure portal for a limited time, you can assign permissions to that consultant for the duration of their engagement.
RBAC also helps you to manage your Azure environment more efficiently. When users’ roles change, their permissions can be automatically updated. It helps to ensure that only authorized users have access to your resources at any time.
How Can You Leverage a Third-Party Cloud Security Platform for Better Azure Security?
Many third-party cloud security platforms include a pre-built integration for Azure security. With these other cloud security platforms, you can better extend your existing platform to protect your Azure resources from cyberattacks.
In addition, some third-party cloud security solutions offer a comprehensive cloud security solution that includes built-in intelligence and analytics to help prevent attacks, as well as automated remediation. In addition, these cloud security solutions have a pre-built integration with Azure security to help you better protect your resources from cyberattacks.
One example of how CSPs provide better capabilities than traditional IPS is the centralized management of policies.
A CSP can manage the policies for all your Azure resources from a single console, while traditional IPS solutions require you to manage policies on a per-resource basis.
Azure security is a top priority for organizations of all types and sizes. Because cyberattacks can target your cloud resources, you need to take steps to strengthen your Azure security foundation.
By leveraging tools such as role-based access control, third-party cloud security platforms, and other capabilities designed to help protect from cyberattacks, you can better protect your Azure resources.
