AZ-500 Microsoft Azure Security Technologies Exam

Leverage Built-in and Custom Compliance Assessments

Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers a simple way to check your Azure resources against well-known security standards. It uses compliance assessments to compare your environment with predefined frameworks. You can rely on built-in mappings or create custom controls tailored to your needs. This ensures you keep up with regulations and follow industry best practices.

To begin, Azure resources are mapped to defined frameworks. These include:

• CIS (Center for Internet Security)
• ISO/IEC 27001
• NIST SP 800-53
  By reviewing this mapping, teams can quickly spot gaps and understand where to focus their efforts. This process highlights both implemented and missing controls.

Each assessment produces a compliance score that acts as a quantifiable measure of your security posture. Scores range from 0 to 100 percent, indicating how many required controls are in place. You can use these scores to set targets and monitor progress over time. Regular score reviews help prioritize which issues need attention first.

When a deficiency is found, you can use automated remediation or policy-driven workflows to address it swiftly. Azure Policy lets you enforce rules that automatically apply configurations or settings. You can also run scripts or Logic Apps to handle complex fixes. This proactive approach reduces manual work and speeds up recovery.

Defender for Cloud provides interactive dashboards with visual insights into your compliance status. These dashboards show trends, highlight high-risk areas, and offer clear, up-to-date reports. You can filter by framework, subscription, or resource group to focus on specific scopes. If built-in assessments don’t cover all your needs, you can define custom assessments to meet internal or regulatory requirements.

Conclusion

In this section, we explored how Microsoft Defender for Cloud leverages compliance assessments to strengthen security in Azure. By mapping resources to CIS, ISO/IEC 27001, and NIST SP 800-53, you gain clear visibility into your control set. Compliance scores help track improvements and drive targeted action. Automated or policy-based remediation ensures fast, consistent fixes.

Dashboards in Defender for Cloud provide detailed insights into compliance gaps, trends, and risk areas. They let you drill down by framework or resource scope and monitor changes over time. When built-in checks fall short, custom assessments deliver the flexibility to meet any requirement. This combination of tools supports a continuous compliance program.

Overall, using both built-in and custom compliance assessments in Azure helps maintain a robust security posture. It enables organizations to meet regulatory requirements and follow industry best practices. The ongoing cycle of assessment, scoring, and remediation drives continuous improvement. This integrated process keeps your cloud environment secure and compliant.