Microsoft Defender for Cloud Documentation

Introduction to Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a unified infrastructure security management system that strengthens the security posture of your data centers and provides advanced threat protection for workloads running in Azure and other cloud environments.

It helps you prevent, detect, and respond to threats. Defender for Cloud provides tools and insights to:

• Assess your security posture: Understand your current security state and identify vulnerabilities.
• Protect your resources: Implement security recommendations and controls.
• Detect threats: Get alerted to potential security incidents.
• Respond to threats: Investigate incidents and take action.

Key Features and Capabilities

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)

Defender for Cloud continuously assesses your environment against security best practices and regulatory standards. It provides a secure score and actionable recommendations to improve your security posture.

Cloud Workload Protection (CWP)

Leverage advanced threat protection for your diverse workloads, including virtual machines, containers, databases, storage accounts, and more. This includes behavioral analytics, machine learning, and threat intelligence.

Integration with Azure Security Center

Defender for Cloud builds upon the capabilities of Azure Security Center, offering a comprehensive suite of security tools and services directly within the Azure ecosystem.

Regulatory Compliance

Monitor and report on your compliance status against various industry standards and regulations (e.g., GDPR, PCI DSS, ISO 27001).

Getting Started

Follow these steps to start using Microsoft Defender for Cloud:

1. Enable Defender for Cloud: Navigate to Microsoft Defender for Cloud in the Azure portal and enable it for your subscriptions.
2. Review Security Recommendations: Examine the recommendations provided by Defender for Cloud to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.
3. Configure alerts: Set up security alerts to be notified of suspicious activities.
4. Explore workload protection plans: Enable specific protection plans for your workloads based on your needs.

Resources and Further Reading

• Official Microsoft Defender for Cloud Overview
• Quickstart: Enable Microsoft Defender for Cloud
• Continuous Assessment and Protection
• Leveraging Azure Monitor with Defender for Cloud

Common Tasks:

• View and manage recommendations
• Investigate security alerts
• Configure regulatory compliance dashboards
• Deploy agents for enhanced protection

Code Examples:

Here's a conceptual example of how you might use Azure CLI to enable a Defender for Cloud plan:

Note: Replace <YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID> with your actual Azure subscription ID.