More and more businesses are migrating to cloud services like Microsoft Azure for various reasons. It can deliver significant cost savings from configuring, maintaining, and replacing physical equipment. It is much more scalable than traditional on-premise servers. It also helps reduce downtime, allowing businesses to stay productive. 

But while the benefits of cloud hosting are well known, many organizations are still new to the idea of cloud security. It does not help that the same security concerns from on-premise servers also exist in the cloud. 

In fact, the perimeters of cloud applications are more pervasive. Cloud customers need to bear some of the security responsibilities, along with their providers. This is where Azure cloud security comes in. 

What is Azure Security?

Azure security refers to the security features and tools available from Microsoft’s cloud platform. It covers a wide range of physical, operational, and infrastructure controls. However, not all packages are created equal. For instance, some may include fundamental monitoring, while others may not. It is important that your company is aware of the security coverage before migrating from on-premise servers to the cloud. This will give you more time to generate plans to fill potential gaps. 

What are the Best Practices for Azure Cloud Security? 

Azure security has many features that can help protect client information. For it to be effective, users must follow the best practices outlined below:

Turn on the Logs

The first step to security is gaining visibility. This will allow the early detection of potentially malicious behavior. While cloud platforms can offer such insight, it is contingent on the users’ ability to manage the logs and generate actionable information from them. 

The first thing to check is if the Azure logs are enabled in the first place. Each package has its own default logging configurations, and it would be a mistake to make any assumptions. 

Centralize the Event Hubs    

The Event Hub is Azure’s data streaming platform. It can process millions of events every second. These can be stored and transformed using readily available real-time analytics providers or storage adapters. This feature is helpful for anomaly detection, transaction processing, archiving data, and many other purposes. 

To make sure that the logs are flowing freely, you need to centralize the Events Hub. This will help standardize the method for exporting data regardless of the log type. 

Check the Details of Your Subscription

Each subscription type for Azure cloud security has a unique configuration. For instance, some packages do not have access to Azure Security Center. If you have this type of subscription, you could miss out on third-party alerts. Another example is the Active Directory Sign-in and Audit Logs, which is a must-have for many security teams but not available in some subscription tiers. Once you have made sure that you have the right subscription to meet all your needs, you can start pushing the data using the cloud SIEM tool. 

Use the Azure Key Vault to Store Your Keys

The azure key vault is a cloud-based service that provides a secure location where you can store sensitive information. This includes keys, passwords, certificates, and other details that should not be accessible to unauthorized users. Make sure that you utilize this tool to protect your company’s secrets. 

Use the Azure Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication is a feature that asks a user for additional forms of identification during a log-in process. This includes providing a fingerprint scan or entering a code sent on the user’s cellphone. The Azure security administrators determine which of the secondary authentication options to enforce.

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To make sure that your network is accessed only by authorized users, you must enable this security feature. 

Review the Azure Security Center Regularly

This dashboard provides a bird’s eye view of your Azure resources and can recommend the appropriate actions for you to take. 

Boost Your Azure Security Using Third-Party Providers

Businesses today can seamlessly migrate workloads from on-premise servers to the cloud. However, these transitions provide an opening for data breaches. To make sure that all the identities and information that exist in your Azure cloud do not pose a threat, you must have robust audit capability, visibility, protection, and detection. The security controls running on Azure must be automated. Additionally, you must have additional security from third-party providers to help detect and fix cloud violations and misconfigurations. 

Cloud security is a shared responsibility. You must do your part to help Azure implement the required security practices as recommended by Microsoft. This will give you an integrated security system that provides round-the-clock protection and governance for your identities and data.