Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Cybersecurity

    Microsoft Hardens Windows Cloud Instances With AI-Enabled Controls

    Written by

    Pedro Hernandez
    Published December 22, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Businesses that host applications on Azure instances now have at their disposal a new tool that improves security.

      Microsoft launched a public beta of its new Adaptive Application Controls for Windows virtual machines running on the company’s Azure cloud-computing platform on Dec. 21. The service allows users to apply whitelisting techniques to their server instances, blocking unauthorized or potentially malware-ridden software.

      This approach is particularly effective on virtual machines that run a fixed set of applications. It lowers an instance’s attack surface by blocking all applications except the ones that are known to be safe, allowing organizations to spend less time on the lookout for exploits and cyber-security threats, noted Microsoft Senior Product Manager Ben Kliger in a blog post.

      Reflecting Microsoft’s efforts to imbue practically all parts of its software and cloud services ecosystem with artificial intelligence (AI), the new capabilities also use the technology to relieve some of the IT administration burdens involved in keeping cloud instances safe.

      “Adaptive Application Controls leverages machine learning to analyze the behavior of your Azure virtual machines, create a baseline of applications, group the virtual machines, and recommend and automatically apply the appropriate whitelisting rules. You can view, modify, and receive alerts for these rules in Azure Security Center,” stated Kliger.

      Adaptive Application Controls are available in standard Azure Security Center subscriptions. A brief walkthrough is available here.

      In another security-enhancing move, Azure Backup now has improved support for virtual machines that are protected by Bitlocker Encryption Key. The cloud-based data protection service can now be used to both back up and restore virtual machines that use the encryption scheme on either managed (by Microsoft) or unmanaged (managed by users) disks. In a previous release, the service only supported backups.

      Elsewhere on Microsoft’s cloud, the company announced a new Alerts interface in the Azure Monitor service, also in beta, along with new capabilities.

      Upon logging into the new Alerts section in Azure Monitor, users will be greeted with a consolidated view of the alerts that were triggered by the metrics monitoring and log analysis solution. “Given how integral it is to the monitoring experience, we are excited to announce the preview of a new re-imagined user interface to create and manage alerts for any resource from a single location in the Azure Monitor blade in the Azure portal,” commented Shankar Sivadasan, senior product marketing manager of Cloud Platform at Microsoft, in a blog post.

      The Alerts interface can also be used to gather all the alert rules used across multiple subscriptions into a single destination for easy access. Finally, the interface now features authoring tools that streamline the process of creating alert rules that involve multiple Azure resources, said Sivadasan.

      Other new additions to Azure Monitor include a new log search function and the ability to configure query-based alert rules for logs.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a writer for eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×