Azure Security Review: Hardening Microsoft Azure for Compliance and Resilience
Microsoft Azure is the second-largest cloud platform globally and the dominant enterprise cloud choice in many markets. Azure's deep integration with Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and enterprise tooling makes it the default cloud for many large organisations — and its security configuration complexity reflects that enterprise depth. An Azure security review assesses your Azure environment against CIS Benchmarks for Azure, Microsoft security best practices, and the requirements of your target compliance framework.
Azure Active Directory (Entra ID): Identity is the Azure Security Perimeter
Azure AD (now Entra ID) is the identity and access management backbone of Azure. Every Azure security review begins here.
MFA enforcement: Implement Conditional Access policies requiring MFA for all users — particularly for risky sign-ins, privileged roles, and access to sensitive applications. Legacy per-user MFA is less effective than Conditional Access-based MFA.
Privileged Identity Management (PIM): Use Azure PIM for just-in-time privileged access — Global Administrators and other privileged roles should not have standing elevated privileges. PIM requires approval workflows and time-bounded activation.
Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs): For the most sensitive administrative tasks, require access from dedicated, hardened PAWs — separate from day-to-day computing environments.
Identity Protection: Enable Entra ID Identity Protection to detect compromised credentials, impossible travel, and other risk signals. Configure risk-based Conditional Access policies that step up authentication requirements when risk is detected.
Guest account governance: Review and limit external user (guest) accounts. Implement access reviews for guest users to ensure they retain appropriate access.
Azure Network Security
Network Security Groups (NSGs): Review all NSGs for overly permissive inbound rules — particularly any_any allows on management ports. Implement NSG flow logs to capture traffic for security analysis and compliance.
Azure Firewall / NVA: For hub-and-spoke network architectures, centralise internet egress and inspection through Azure Firewall or a Network Virtual Appliance (NVA), enabling centralised policy enforcement and logging.
Private Endpoints and Service Endpoints: Use Private Endpoints to access Azure PaaS services (Storage, SQL, Key Vault) without routing traffic through the public internet — essential for compliance environments.
DDoS Protection: Enable Azure DDoS Protection Standard for production virtual networks hosting public-facing applications.
Just-in-Time VM Access: Use Microsoft Defender for Cloud's Just-in-Time VM access feature to lock down management ports (SSH, RDP) and only open them when needed for specific approved administrator sessions.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Sentinel
Microsoft Defender for Cloud: The Azure CSPM and cloud workload protection platform. Enable Defender for Cloud in all subscriptions. Review the Secure Score and work through prioritised recommendations. Enable Defender plans for the workload types you use (Servers, Databases, Storage, Containers, App Service, Key Vault, DNS).
Microsoft Sentinel: Azure's cloud-native SIEM and SOAR. Connect Sentinel to Azure AD, Azure Activity Logs, Office 365, and other data sources. Configure detection rules from the Sentinel content hub. Build automation playbooks for common response actions.
Azure Policy: Enforce security configurations at scale using Azure Policy. Built-in policy initiatives include CIS Benchmark compliance, NIST SP 800-53 compliance, and ISO 27001 compliance — applying policies across all resources in a management group.
Why Organisations Choose Savadub
Deep GRC Expertise
Our team holds practitioner-level expertise across every major compliance framework — not just theoretical knowledge, but hands-on implementation experience across multiple industries and organisation sizes.
Engineers, Not Just Consultants
We implement controls, not just recommend them. Our GRC engineers configure the systems, write the integrations, and build the monitoring pipelines that make compliance operational.
Global and African Regulatory Coverage
We understand both the global frameworks and the African regulatory environment — NDPR, NDPA, CBN directives, NITDA guidelines, and regional data protection laws — making us uniquely positioned for organisations operating across Africa and internationally.
Internal and External Audit Capability
We provide both embedded internal audit functions and independent third-party audit support, including CPA-accredited audit coordination for SOC examinations.
End-to-End Engagement
From initial gap assessment through certification, continuous monitoring, and ongoing compliance management — we are your long-term GRC partner, not a one-time consultant.
Industries We Serve
Financial Services · Healthcare · Technology & SaaS · Manufacturing · Logistics & Trade · Government & Public Sector · Energy & Critical Infrastructure · Education & EdTech · Media & Broadcasting · Retail & E-Commerce · Professional Services · Food & Beverage
Deliverables You Receive
Working with Savadub, every engagement delivers a concrete set of outputs:
- Gap Assessment Report — prioritised findings with effort estimates and risk ratings
- Compliance Roadmap — milestone-based plan from current state to certification or attestation
- Risk Register — organisational risk register with treatment plans
- Policy Pack — all required policies authored, reviewed, and approved
- Technical Control Implementation Evidence — configurations, screenshots, and audit trails
- Internal Audit Report — independent assessment of control effectiveness
- Audit Evidence Repository — organised, auditor-ready evidence collection
- Executive Summary Presentation — board and leadership-ready compliance status
- Remediation Tracker — structured tracking of open findings and closure evidence
- Continuous Monitoring Setup — ongoing CCM pipeline for post-certification compliance
Get Started with Savadub
Savadub's GRC practice combines deep compliance expertise with technical engineering capability. We don't just advise — we build, implement, and operate your compliance program from the ground up.
Book a free GRC consultation with our team. We will review your current posture, identify your most critical gaps, and give you a clear, costed roadmap to compliance.
Contact us:
- Email: grc@savadub.com
- Phone: +234 816 734 2201
- WhatsApp: +234 903 234 8435
- Website: www.savadub.com
