Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity

Identity is the new security perimeter, so its basics matter. You separate authentication from authorization, learn what an identity provider does, and see how directories and federation connect organizations.

• Authentication and authorization compared
• Identity providers and directory services
• Federation and single sign-on
• Common identity attacks and why they work
• Identity as the security perimeter

You build A sign-in flow drawn step by step, marking where authentication ends and authorization begins.

Entra ID is where Microsoft’s identity features live. You learn its identity types, how multifactor and passwordless sign-in work, and how Conditional Access and role-based access limit what people can reach.

• Users, groups, devices and external identities
• Hybrid identity at a glance
• Multifactor, passwordless and self-service reset
• Conditional Access policies
• Roles and role-based access

You build A sign-in policy for a small company that sets methods, one Conditional Access rule and the roles in use.

Access has to be watched and trimmed over time. You see how Identity Protection flags risky sign-ins, how privileged identity management limits standing admin rights, and how access reviews remove access nobody needs.

• Risky users and sign-ins in Identity Protection
• Privileged Identity Management and just-in-time access
• Access reviews
• Entitlement management and access packages
• How these tools work together

You build A governance plan that uses PIM and an access review for one team’s admin roles.

Network and platform controls stop many attacks before they reach an application. You meet DDoS Protection, firewalls, web application protection and network security groups, and see how encryption and key storage protect data.

• Network security groups and segmentation
• Azure DDoS Protection
• Azure Firewall and Web Application Firewall
• Azure Bastion for safer remote access
• Encryption and Key Vault

You build A network security sketch that places each protection service in front of a web application.

Knowing your weak spots is half of defense. You learn how Defender for Cloud assesses configuration, gives a secure score, protects workloads, and reaches across Azure, other clouds and on-premises systems.

• Cloud security posture management
• Secure score and recommendations
• Workload protection plans
• Multi-cloud and hybrid coverage
• Acting on a recommendation

You build A short report that ranks three sample recommendations by risk and says what to do for each.

Detection and response need a view across everything. You learn what a SIEM and a SOAR do, how Sentinel collects and correlates data, and how Defender XDR joins signals from email, endpoints, identities and apps.

• SIEM, SOAR and XDR explained
• Microsoft Sentinel: connectors, incidents and hunting
• Microsoft Defender XDR and its components
• Defender for Endpoint, Office 365, Identity and Cloud Apps
• How an alert becomes an incident

You build A map showing which Microsoft tool sees which part of a phishing-to-ransomware attack.

Compliance is about proving what you do, not only doing it. You learn where Microsoft publishes its audits, how Compliance Manager scores your position, and the privacy principles behind Microsoft’s handling of data.

• The Service Trust Portal
• Microsoft’s privacy principles
• Compliance Manager and compliance score
• Assessments and improvement actions
• Regulations and where they apply

You build A compliance summary for one regulation, using sample Compliance Manager actions.

Purview covers the life of sensitive data. You learn how labels classify and protect it, how data loss prevention and retention control it, and how insider risk, eDiscovery and audit help when something goes wrong.

• Sensitive information types and sensitivity labels
• Data loss prevention and retention
• Insider risk management and communication compliance
• eDiscovery and case management
• Audit: what is recorded and who can search it

You build A data protection outline that assigns a Purview feature to five data risks.

One map joins the course. You take a small organization and lay out its identity, network, threat and data protection needs, name the Microsoft tool for each, and note what is still missing.

• Listing the organization’s assets and risks
• Choosing identity and access controls
• Choosing threat protection and monitoring
• Choosing data protection and compliance tools
• Reviewing the map for gaps

You build A security, compliance and identity map for a sample organization, with each risk matched to a tool.