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Integrate Other Clouds with Azure Using the Multicloud Connector

Introduction

As businesses adopt multi-cloud strategies to leverage the unique strengths of various cloud providers, managing these environments can become complex. Microsoft’s Azure Arc Multicloud Connector provides a streamlined solution to integrate and manage resources across different cloud platforms, specifically focusing on AWS. This blog post will explore the capabilities of the Azure Arc Multicloud Connector and guide you through a step-by-step lab to connect AWS resources to Azure.

Key Features of the Multicloud Connector

1. Unified Inventory: The Multicloud Connector automatically collects metadata from external cloud resources, providing a comprehensive view within the Azure portal. This helps in maintaining a consistent inventory across cloud environments.
2. Arc Onboarding: It facilitates the onboarding of AWS EC2 instances to Azure Arc, allowing advanced management features like policy enforcement, monitoring, and configuration management.
3. Consistent Governance: Apply Azure policies and role-based access controls (RBAC) to resources in external clouds, ensuring uniform security and compliance standards across all environments.
4. Enhanced Management: Utilize Azure Arc capabilities for onboarded resources, including vulnerability scanning and deployment automation.

Implementation Steps

Prerequisites

– An Azure subscription with Contributor access.
– An AWS account with AmazonEC2FullAccess permissions.
– Azure Arc and required resource providers registered (Microsoft.HybridCompute, Microsoft.HybridConnectivity, Microsoft.AwsConnector).

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Deploying Rapid7 Agent Using Azure Automation for Azure Servers Managed via Azure Arc

Deploying the Rapid7 agent across diverse environments, such as Azure and AWS servers managed through Azure Arc (Windows and Linux), can be streamlined using Azure Automation. This blog post will guide you through the step-by-step process to automate this deployment.

Step 1: Set Up an Azure Automation Account

Navigate to the Azure Portal:

Open the Azure portal and search for "Automation Accounts" in the search bar.

Create or Use an Existing Automation Account:

Click on "Add" to create a new Automation Account.
Fill in the necessary details like Name, Resource Group, and Location.
Click on "Create".

Step 2: Configure Hybrid Runbook Worker

To run scripts on servers outside Azure, you need a Hybrid Runbook Worker.

Add a Hybrid Worker Group:

In the Automation Account, go to "Hybrid Worker Groups" under the "Process Automation" section.
Click "Add a hybrid worker group" and follow the instructions.

Install the Hybrid Runbook Worker on Your Servers:

Download and install the Hybrid Runbook Worker on your Azure and AWS servers as per the instructions provided.
Register these servers to the newly created Hybrid Worker Group.

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Microsoft Announces Mandatory MFA for All Azure Users

Microsoft has recently announced a significant change that will impact all Azure users: the mandatory implementation of Multifactor Authentication (MFA). This update aims to enhance security across the Azure platform by requiring additional verification for users accessing various Azure services.

Official Announcement: Read Microsoft’s MFA Requirement for Azure Users

Understanding the Changes

This update will affect all users interacting with the Azure Portal, Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell Modules, and Terraform when deploying to Azure. This includes guest accounts, service accounts, and break glass accounts.

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How to Create a Secure SFTP Service Using Azure Storage Account and Make It Publicly Accessible

Creating a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) service using an Azure Storage Account offers a cost-effective, scalable, and highly available solution for transferring files. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up an SFTP service on Azure Storage and configuring it to be publicly accessible while focusing on the most secure options.

Step 1: Create an Azure Storage Account

1.1 Sign in to Azure Portal

Go to the Azure Portal and sign in with your Azure account.

1.2 Create a New Storage Account

In the Azure portal, select Create a resource > Storage > Storage account.
In the "Basics" tab, configure the storage account:
- Subscription: Select your subscription.
- Resource group: Create a new resource group or select an existing one.
- Storage account name: Enter a unique name for your storage account.
- Region: Select the region closest to you.
- Performance: Choose Standard.
- Redundancy: Choose the redundancy option that fits your needs (e.g., Locally-redundant storage (LRS)).
In the "Advanced" tab, configure the storage account:

Hierarchical Namespace: Enable hierarchical namespace.
Access Protocols: Enable SFTP.

Click Review + create and then Create.

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Migrating Risk Policies to Conditional Access: A Strategic Guide for Enhanced Security

Azure AD Conditional Access Best Practices

As the digital security landscape continues to evolve, organizations utilizing Microsoft Azure are encouraged to migrate their Identity Protection risk policies to Conditional Access. With Microsoft’s announcement that legacy risk policies in Microsoft Entra ID Protection will be retired on October 1, 2026, now is the crucial time to plan and execute this transition. This guide not only walks you through the migration process but also incorporates Microsoft’s recommended practices for configuring risk policies to protect your organization effectively.

Understanding the Importance of Migration

The retirement of the old risk policies necessitates a shift to a more robust and integrated system. Conditional Access provides a more dynamic framework that allows for real-time assessments and adaptive responses to identity-based threats, making it a superior choice for managing security risks in Azure.

Preparing for Migration

Begin by auditing your existing risk policies in Microsoft Entra ID Protection. Identify which configurations are active and understand their implications to ensure that all critical aspects of your security setup are transitioned without loss of coverage.

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