A growing number of businesses are moving their IT operations to the cloud. But the security concerns stay common to all. When it comes to cloud computing platforms that are laser-focused on security, Azure is among the best ones out there. In this article, you’ll learn about the Azure Cloud Security features and what other services it can offer.
What is Microsoft Azure Platform?
Microsoft Azure is an advanced cloud computing platform similar to Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud. It allows organizations to run their IT operations virtually without the need for in-house servers.
The Azure Platform allows you to run all of your computer operations on the cloud, including running servers, storing data, databases, networking, etc.
Azure makes the transition to the cloud easier. It supports most of the technologies that millions of developers already use. Also, it offers a broad range of operating systems to run your apps and virtual assets.
But it’s the wide range of security options that make the Platform a go-to option for most businesses. You can customize and configure the options to suit your organizational requirements.
Features and Capabilities of Azure Platform Security
For those overly concerned with the Platform’s security, Azure has got some sophisticated features on offer.
- Security and Audit Dashboard
You can view your IT cloud infrastructure’s security health from a comprehensive dashboard. It provides a high level of insight into the security state of all the computers and servers you own.
If there are any potential threats or breach attempts, the dashboard will notify you of the same. Other than that, you can configure the settings to carry out specific actions when certain events are detected automatically.
- Azure Resource Manager
With the Azure Resource Manager, you can work with the resources you have within your cloud environment. You can deploy, manage, and delete the resources from the Resource Manager center.
After you’ve created a resource either from scratch or using one of its templates, the Resource Manager offers auditing and security features to manage them.
- Application Insight
Developers have an Application Insight service that allows them to monitor and update their deployed applications. The service has analytics tools that serve real-time data about the apps.
If there are bugs, crashes, or security flaws, the Application Insight will raise appropriate alerts.
- Azure Monitor Logs
The Azure Monitor Logs is a complete IT management solution that can be used for both on-premise servers and third-party cloud providers like AWS. So you can directly manage your hybrid cloud infrastructure from the Monitor Logs.
- Azure Security Center
The Security Center safeguards your Azure resources as it detects, prevents, and responds to any security threats. You get integrated monitoring and policy management for all of your Azure subscriptions.
Azure also has services that provide disaster recovery, elasticity, and development at a cost-effective price.
How is Azure Cloud Service Being Used?
Companies use Azure Cloud in a variety of ways. You can use it as a complete infrastructure for your cloud operation, in which case it serves as an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). You get maximum control over the cloud and manage your resources independently.
Companies also use Azure Cloud as a cloud platform. This means Azure takes care of the middleware, the operating system, and the servers while you get to choose the other services required to run your applications. This form of cloud computing is called Platform as a Service or PaaS.
Lastly, you can utilize Azure Cloud as a SaaS or Software as a Service. So you can run services like Office 365 on the cloud. You are not required to manage anything. The patching and virtual machines working behind the scenes are taken care of.
The features mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many services you can use that were previously not possible in an on-premise server. To fully exploit the security potential, you can also use Azure Cloud Security with other software using Azure APIs.
