For businesses, managing identity permissions and risks in a multicloud environment is a daunting task. The ability to see what permissions are being used, moderate them, and automate processes is critical for achieving a well-secured and managed environment. Microsoft Entra Permissions Management (EPM) and Microsoft Defender for Cloud (MDC) provide comprehensive solutions for dealing with these challenges.
EPM and MDC provide a comprehensive and integrated approach to managing identity permissions and cloud-based risks in a multicloud environment. EPM allows for the management of granular permissions, whereas MDC provides visibility into resource risks. Their combination provides an efficient and effective solution for risk management and access control. Businesses can reduce their attack surface and achieve a more secure environment by prioritising vulnerabilities and communicating changes and justifications with end users.
Microsoft Entra Permissions Management: A comprehensive solution for visibility and control of permissions
Microsoft Entra Permissions Management (EPM) is a multicloud permissions management solution that provides visibility and control over permissions usage. Organisations can use EPM to gain insight into the resources, roles, and permissions that users have. This tool provides monitoring, automation, remediation, and reporting capabilities, allowing organisations to manage permissions more precisely. EPM can help reduce the attack surface and manage friction by identifying over-permissioned access and by detecting elevated permissions that should not be present.
EPM also generates a Permission Creep Index (PCI) to calculate the difference between permissions granted and permissions actually used. This feature can be helpful in reducing permissions creep, which occurs when users accumulate unnecessary permissions over time, increasing the risk of security breaches. EPM can also identify resource permissions and risks across multiple cloud stacks, including Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. It is cloud-independent and can provide comparable views of identity and resources regardless of cloud or identity provider. Organisations can use EPM to correct permissions based on policy, reduce the attack surface, and manage friction.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud: Identifying and mitigating risks in real time
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a comprehensive cloud-native application protection platform that protects cloud-based applications from a wide range of cyber threats and vulnerabilities. It combines three powerful capabilities to provide a unified security management solution for businesses operating in a multicloud and multicode pipeline environment.
To begin, MDC provides a development security operations (DevSecOps) solution that enables organisations to secure their cloud resources across multiple environments by providing unified security management at the code level. Secondly, it includes a cloud security posture management (CSPM) solution that identifies preventative measures that businesses can take. Finally, the solution includes a cloud workload protection platform (CWPP) that protects servers, containers, storage, databases, and other workloads.
These capabilities make MDC a powerful cloud-based security solution, providing advanced threat detection and response, vulnerability management, and compliance management to businesses. MDC’s machine learning and behavioural analytics enable rapid detection and response to potential security threats while providing a centralised view of all cloud resource vulnerabilities, assisting organisations in prioritising and addressing critical vulnerabilities to reduce the risk of data breaches and other cyber attacks.
Overcoming challenges to successfully implement EPM and MDC
Managing identity permissions and cloud security risks has become a critical challenge as organisations increasingly move their data and applications to the cloud. Microsoft’s EPM and MDC solutions provide organisations with powerful tools for managing cloud security risks. EPM provides visibility into permissions to reduce the risk of over-permissioning, whereas MDC detects potential security threats in real time.
However, implementing these solutions successfully necessitates a strategic approach that includes prioritising critical resources, phasing in changes, and communicating business justifications to users.
Working with a Microsoft Solutions Partner, such as ITC, can assist organisations in maximising the benefits of EPM and MDC while also strengthening their security posture. ITC has invested in developing capabilities in cloud security, identity and access management, and threat protection as a specialised Microsoft Solutions Partner in Security. We can quickly map business requirements to deliver immediate business impact because we have a thorough understanding of emerging technologies and the threat landscape.
If you would like to know how we can help you make the most of your Microsoft investments to manage identity based permissions and risks in a multicloud environment, get started with our 8-week EPM proof of concept or email us at [email protected].
