Azure Security Center Policies provide a centralized platform for managing and enforcing security policies across Azure resources, including virtual machines, databases, and applications. Policies define the security requirements for resources, such as encryption, network security group settings, and anti-malware protection. Security Center provides a set of built-in policies that can be customized or extended to meet specific organizational needs.
For example, a policy can be created to enforce data encryption for all Azure Storage accounts. This policy would require that all data in the storage accounts must be encrypted at rest using Azure Storage Service Encryption.
Azure Security Center policies can be used to monitor and enforce compliance with industry-specific regulations such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR. They can also be used to enforce organizational policies and best practices.
Policies are evaluated continuously and compliance results are provided in the Azure Security Center dashboard and in Azure Policy compliance reports.
Examples of Azure Security Center Policies include:
- Network Security Group (NSG) recommendations: This policy enforces NSG settings for virtual machines and virtual networks, such as limiting inbound traffic to specific ports and protocols.
- SQL Server auditing and threat detection: This policy enables auditing and threat detection for SQL Server databases.
- Vulnerability assessment: This policy enables vulnerability assessment for virtual machines and provides recommendations for addressing security vulnerabilities.
- Azure Key Vault encryption: This policy enforces the use of Azure Key Vault for storing and managing encryption keys for virtual machines and other resources.
Azure Security Center Policies can be configured using the Azure Portal or PowerShell. Policies can be assigned to specific resources or resource groups, and notifications can be configured to alert when compliance violations are detected.
