Organizations operating in Azure often consider both compliance requirements and broader security risks as part of their cloud strategy. Azure provides a range of native security services that support the protection of data, applications, and infrastructure across different parts of the environment.
Understanding the purpose of each tool – and how it fits within an organization’s overall security approach – can help teams apply controls more consistently. The following sections outline Azure’s commonly used security tools by category and describe how they are typically applied within cloud environments.
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Top tools for Azure security
Organizations securing Azure environments often use a combination of identity, data, network, threat detection, and compliance tools to support their cloud security objectives. Azure provides built-in services across these categories, and many organizations supplement them with third-party tools based on their architecture, workflows, or regulatory requirements.
Azure’s native tools can help with tasks such as managing access, protecting sensitive information, monitoring configuration changes, and detecting potential threats. Third-party solutions may be incorporated to provide additional context, integrate with existing processes, or address specific organizational needs.
The table below categorizes commonly used Azure security tools and outlines how they are typically applied within broader security strategies.
| Category | Tools | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Identity and access management (IAM) | Microsoft Entra ID Permissions Management | Enforcing least-privilege access |
| IAM | Azure Active Directory (AAD) | Managing user identities and access permissions |
| Data protection | Azure Key Vault | Storing and managing sensitive information securely |
| Data protection | Microsoft Purview | Centralizing, classifying, and protecting data |
| Network and application security | Network security groups | Filtering traffic based on security rules |
| Network and application security | Azure DDoS Protection | Defending against DDoS attacks |
| Compliance and governance | Azure Policy | Enforcing organizational standards and compliance |
| Compliance and governance | Microsoft Defender for Cloud | Securing Azure, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments |
| Threat detection and response (TDR) | Azure Sentinel | Providing AI-driven security analytics and response |
| TDR | Microsoft Defender for Cloud | Identifying and mitigating security threats |
Azure Security Best Practices [Cheat Sheet]
Explore detailed aspects of Azure best practices, from role-based access control (RBAC) to cloud security posture management, that you can adapt to secure your Azure subscriptions.
Azure tools for IAM
Identity and access management (IAM) is a foundational component of securing Azure environments. Azure offers several tools that help organizations manage permissions, govern access to resources, and align identity controls with their operational and security requirements. The following services are commonly used to support IAM in Azure.
1. Microsoft Entra ID
Microsoft Entra ID centralizes identity and access management (IAM) in Azure, ensuring that every access request follows a unified security framework. It enforces security policies, reduces overly permissive roles, and sends automated alerts when access permissions exceed least-privilege standards.
Here are three key features that help organizations strengthen access control and protect identities:
Fine-grained access control: Entra ID enforces role-based access control (RBAC), allowing organizations to assign built-in or custom roles that limit permissions based on job responsibilities.
Identity protection: It detects suspicious activity using machine learning and automatically adjusts security controls with conditional access policies to block potential threats.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA): It strengthens account security with options like Microsoft Authenticator, Windows Hello for Business, and FIDO security keys. These prevent unauthorized access even if credentials are compromised.
2. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management
Privileged accounts pose one of the highest security risks if misused or compromised. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) helps organizations manage, monitor, and control access to critical resources with these features:
Approval workflows: Administrators enforce approval requirements before granting elevated access, ensuring authorization for critical actions.
Access reviews: Regularly scheduled access reviews enforce the principle of least privilege by identifying and revoking unnecessary permissions.
Audit logs and alerts: PIM monitors privileged access requests and alerts administrators to unusual activity, helping them respond to potential security threats.
Both Microsoft Entra ID and Azure AD PIM work together to enforce strong identity and access policies, minimize security risks, and ensure that users have the right level of access when they need it.
Azure security tools for data protection
Keeping sensitive data secure in the cloud requires the right tools. Azure offers built-in solutions that protect encryption keys, secrets, and sensitive information and ensure compliance. Here are three key security tools that protect data in Azure:
1. Azure Key Vault
Sensitive data is one of the most valuable assets in any system, making it a prime target for cyber threats. Instead of leaving secrets vulnerable in application code or configuration files, Azure Key Vault provides a secure, centralized way to manage encryption keys, passwords, certificates, and other critical data.
Beyond secure storage, Key Vault plays a crucial role in modern development workflows. It integrates with CI/CD pipelines, ensuring security is baked into the software development process rather than treated as an afterthought. Here are three key features that make it effective:
Centralized secret management: Applications can securely retrieve secrets without hardcoding them by referencing Key Vault’s secure URIs.
Secure access controls: RBAC via Microsoft Entra ID guarantees that only authorized users and services can access stored secrets. Access policies further limit permissions.
Governance and monitoring: Built-in auditing tracks key usage, while automated key rotation ensures that encryption remains strong without manual intervention.
2. Microsoft Purview
Managing data security goes beyond encryption—it includes knowing what data you have, where it lives, and how it moves. That’s where Microsoft Purview helps. It gives organizations the visibility and control they need to classify, track, and protect sensitive data across their cloud environment. Here’s how Microsoft Purview strengthens data security:
Data catalog: It creates a unified inventory of data assets across Azure, on-premises, and multi-cloud environments, making it easier to manage and discover information.
Data classification: It identifies sensitive information, such as personal data or financial records, so organizations can apply appropriate protection policies.
Data security: It prevents unauthorized exposure by enforcing data loss prevention, insider risk management, and privileged access controls.
Network and application security tools for Azure
Securing your network and applications in Azure requires layered protection. Azure provides four built-in tools to control traffic flow, enforce security policies, and safeguard workloads from threats:
1. Network security groups
Controlling inbound and outbound traffic at the network level is essential for securing Azure resources. Network Security Groups (NSGs) act as a stateful firewall that filters traffic to and from Azure Virtual Networks, subnets, and virtual machines (VMs) based on security rules.
NSGs provide several key features that enhance security and simplify traffic management in Azure environments:
Security rules: NSGs use five-tuple rules—source, source port, destination, destination port, and protocol—to define inbound and outbound traffic policies. This approach ensures precise filtering and stronger security.
Rule prioritization: Azure processes NSG rules based on priority values, making sure the most critical security policies take effect first.
Augmented security rules: Instead of manually defining IP addresses, you can simplify security management by using service tags and Application Security Groups (ASGs). Service tags represent Azure services, while ASGs group VMs with similar security needs, making policy management more scalable and efficient.
2. Azure DDoS Protection
Azure DDoS Protection prevents large-scale attacks that attempt to flood your applications with traffic, ensuring continuous availability for legitimate users. It offers two tiers of protection: DDoS Network Protection, which automatically mitigates threats across all resources within a protected virtual network, and DDoS IP Protection, which secures specific public IP addresses with added benefits like cost protection, discounts, and access to DDoS rapid response support.
Azure DDoS Protection continuously monitors traffic, detects threats in real time, and automatically mitigates attacks to keep applications secure. It offers:
Two protection tiers: Network protection secures entire virtual networks, while IP Protection focuses on individual public IPs with additional cost benefits and rapid response support.
Multi-layered defense: Works across layers 3 and 4, and integrates with Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against layer 7 attacks.
Advanced insights: Provides attack analytics, real-time alerts, and detailed reports for proactive security management.
Azure Vulnerability Management Best Practices [Cheat Sheet]
If your organization runs critical workloads on Azure and you’re looking for a clear, practical starting point for vulnerability management – this cheat sheet is for you.
Azure security tools for compliance management
Ensuring compliance in cloud environments requires tools that enforce security policies and monitor regulatory standards. Azure Policy helps organizations define and enforce rules, while Microsoft Defender for Cloud continuously monitors workloads to detect risks and maintain compliance. Together, these tools provide a proactive approach to securing cloud resources.
1. Azure Policy
Azure Policy enforces governance rules to ensure organizations create, configure, and manage resources according to security and compliance standards. It enforces security rules, control costs, and configure resources via predefined and custom policies. For example, you could strengthen security and prevent unauthorized access with a policy that enforces SSH key authentication for Linux virtual machines.
Azure Policy provides key features that help enforce compliance and security across cloud environments:
Initiatives: Azure Policy groups multiple policies into initiatives, simplifying the enforcement of broad security objectives. This structure allows organizations to manage compliance more efficiently and apply consistent security policies at scale.
RBAC permissions: Azure Policy assigns role-based access control (RBAC) permissions to ensure that only authorized users can manage policy settings and modify compliance rules.
Remediation tasks: Azure Policy automatically identifies and corrects non-compliant resources to ensure continuous enforcement of security and compliance standards across Azure environments.
2. Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) that secures Azure, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. It integrates DevSecOps practices, Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), and Cloud Workload Protection into a single platform.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers several security features that help organizations protect their cloud environments:
Secure score: It evaluates an organization's security posture and generates actionable recommendations to enhance compliance and reduce vulnerabilities.
Attack path analysis: It leverages graph-based algorithms to analyze network traffic, detect potential vulnerabilities, and help organizations proactively mitigate security threats.
CSPM capabilities: It continuously monitors the security state of cloud workloads, offers integrated compliance recommendations, and supports third-party integrations to improve visibility and threat detection.
Azure threat detection tools
Identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities is a critical step in securing cloud workloads. Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender provide a powerful solution by detecting security risks across cloud environments so you can take action before threats become attacks.
Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel is a scalable, cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) solution. It helps simplify security operations by providing intelligent security analytics, threat intelligence, and automated responses to protect your organization from evolving cyber threats.
Here are some key features that enhance its threat detection and response capabilities:
Threat detection: Continuously monitors security logs from Azure, third-party services, and on-premises environments to identify anomalies and potential attacks.
Incident response: Uses automated playbooks to contain threats and reduce response time, ensuring a swift and effective defense. Sentinel’s incident response capabilities quickly analyze and mitigate security threats before they escalate.
Threat hunting: Leverages the MITRE ATT&CK framework and machine learning to proactively uncover hidden security risks, allowing security teams to take action before a breach occurs.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Besides compliance management, Microsoft Defender for Cloud is also useful for TDR. It strengthens security across Azure and multi-cloud environments by identifying vulnerabilities and providing actionable insights. Here are some key features that help organizations detect and respond to security risks effectively:
Multi-cloud support: Scans virtual machines across Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud to detect security risks and maintain a consistent security posture.
OS scanning: Conducts vulnerability assessments for Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS, ensuring comprehensive protection across different operating systems.
Actionable recommendations: Generates reports with Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) references and step-by-step remediation guidance to help organizations address security issues efficiently.
Enhancing Azure security with third-party tools
Azure’s native security services establish a strong baseline for identity, data protection, threat detection, and compliance. Many organizations pair these capabilities with third-party platforms to centralize visibility, correlate risks across services, and streamline remediation workflows – especially in hybrid or multi-cloud environments.
From Wiz’s point of view, a CNAPP can add value by unifying context across identities, workloads, configurations, and data. In Azure environments, Wiz provides several capabilities that help teams extend native protections:
Security graph: Wiz maps relationships across resources, identities, network paths, and configurations. This graph-based model helps teams understand how issues connect across Azure services and highlights risk clusters that may not be visible when analyzing findings in isolation.
Attack path analysis: By correlating misconfigurations, exposed identities, vulnerable workloads, and data access paths, Wiz identifies combinations of risks that could be used together during an attack. This helps teams focus on issues that have both exploitability and impact, rather than treating all findings as equal.
Cloud threat intelligence: Wiz includes coverage for emerging cloud threat patterns observed across major cloud providers, including Azure. This can help organizations quickly identify resources associated with new vulnerabilities or attack techniques and prioritize investigation.
Azure’s built-in security tools provide a strong foundation, which third-party solutions can enhance with deeper visibility and more specialized protection.
Not sure if your cloud security is strong enough? Take Wiz’s Cloud Security Self Assessment to uncover vulnerabilities and get actionable insights to strengthen your defenses.
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