Microsoft Defender for Cloud: improve security posture and detect threats
Slide deck explaining Microsoft Defender for Cloud: cloud-native security service that improves security posture through CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management) recommendations and detects threats through CWPP (Cloud Workload Protection Platform) alerts.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud: improve security posture and detect threats
Introduction to Microsoft Defender for Cloud: cloud-native security service that improves security posture and detects threats in Azure and connected environments.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud: improve security posture and detect threats
Introduction to Microsoft Defender for Cloud: cloud-native security service that improves security posture and detects threats in Azure and connected environments.
Defender for Cloud: what it does
It improves security posture and alerts you to potential threats. Cloud-native security service for Azure and connected environments. Security recommendations equal reduce risk. Security alerts equal suspicious activity detected. Covers cloud workloads and can extend beyond Azure when connected.
Two big ideas
Posture reduces risk; protection detects threats. Posture equals fix risky settings before an attack. Protection equals detect suspicious runtime behavior. Recommendations map to posture work. Alerts map to investigation/response work.
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)
CSPM continuously finds risk and produces recommendations. Continuous assessment of your environment. Finds misconfigurations and risky settings. Produces prioritized security recommendations. Main question: 'What should I fix to lower risk?'
Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP)
CWPP monitors workloads and raises security alerts. Monitors workloads (VMs, containers, storage, databases). Detects suspicious runtime behavior. Generates security alerts tied to workloads. Main question: 'Is something attacking or compromising this right now?'
Recommendations vs Alerts
Recommendations prevent; alerts trigger investigation. Recommendation equals posture improvement (reduce risk). Alert equals threat notification (possible active attack). Different actions: remediate vs investigate/respond. Common mistake: treating them as the same thing.
Hybrid & multi-cloud: connect first
Non-Azure resources must be connected/onboarded to be covered. Azure resources show up directly in Defender for Cloud. On-prem/other-cloud servers: onboard (often via Azure Arc). AWS (Amazon Web Services) / GCP (Google Cloud Platform): connect environments. Key mindset: 'No connection equals no visibility.'
Scenario: reducing risk with recommendations
Ongoing risk reduction is CSPM work. Goal: reduce risk from insecure configurations. Signal: security recommendations. Action: prioritize and remediate. Reminder: posture management is continuous, not one-time.
Scenario: responding to alerts
Alerts are CWPP signals that trigger investigation. Goal: detect suspicious workload activity. Signal: security alerts. Action: triage, investigate, respond. Reminder: alerts do not equal recommendations.
Defender for Cloud vs Microsoft Sentinel
Different focus: posture/workloads vs logs/incidents. Defender for Cloud: CSPM plus CWPP for cloud resources. Microsoft Sentinel: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM). SIEM equals centralize logs/signals plus investigate plus respond. Together: complementary, not interchangeable.
Common pitfalls (and the fix)
Most confusion disappears when you separate posture from alerts. Not 'antivirus': it's posture plus workload protection. Not Azure-only: hybrid/multi-cloud requires onboarding/connection. It doesn't auto-fix issues: you remediate and respond. Keep it straight: recommendations vs alerts vs SIEM (Sentinel).