Strengthening Your Security Posture with Azure Arc & Microsoft Defender for Cloud
In today’s hybrid and multi-cloud world, organisations face growing challenges around visibility, governance, and security. As infrastructure sprawls across on-premises data centres, public clouds like AWS and Azure, and edge locations, maintaining control has never been more complex – or more critical.
In our recent Cloud in Control webinar, experts from Atech and Microsoft shared practical insights on how organisations can regain clarity, consistency, and confidence using Azure Arc and Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
This article summarises the key themes, real-world examples, and best practices discussed in the session.
Tackling Modern Cloud Security Challenges
Organisations are navigating a fragmented landscape of disconnected tools, siloed teams, and increasing cyber threats. The result? Visibility gaps, inconsistent security policies, and delayed responses to emerging risks.
Some of the biggest challenges security and IT leaders face include:
- Inconsistent governance across cloud and on-prem environments
- Difficulty scaling remediation and compliance efforts
- Limited integration between DevOps and security workflows
- Overwhelming volumes of recommendations without clear prioritisation
Without a unified, risk-based approach, these challenges create vulnerabilities across the environment.
Why Azure Arc and Defender for Cloud?
Together, Azure Arc and Microsoft Defender for Cloud offer a powerful way to simplify and strengthen security operations across complex environments:
- Azure Arc enables organisations to extend the Azure control plane to any infrastructure – on-premises, multi-cloud, or edge. It allows for centralised management, tagging, and policy enforcement across all resources.
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud delivers comprehensive Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP) capabilities, helping teams assess risks, prioritise threats, and automate remediation.
Combined, these tools empower organisations to:
- Gain unified visibility across workloads and locations
- Apply consistent security and compliance policies
- Detect and respond to threats faster using AI-powered analytics
- Benchmark against regulatory frameworks (e.g. CIS, NIST, Microsoft Security Benchmark)
Real-World Use Case: Financial Services Company
During the webinar, the team shared a compelling Azure Arc use case involving a financial services organisation operating across on-premises, AWS, and Azure.
The Challenges:
- High operational costs due to fragmented tooling
- Disconnected infrastructure with poor visibility
- Inconsistent security policies increasing risk exposure
The Solution:
With help from Atech and Microsoft, the organisation deployed Azure Arc to unify resource management and onboard all systems – regardless of location – into the Azure portal. Microsoft Defender for Cloud was layered on top to assess security posture, surface vulnerabilities, and enforce standardised compliance policies.
The Impact:
- Unified visibility across all assets
- Streamlined cost and policy management
- Faster identification and remediation of risk
- Enhanced audit readiness and governance
Best Practice Highlights
To strengthen your own security posture, the panel recommended:
- Start with visibility: Use Defender for Cloud and Arc to build a complete asset inventory and identify gaps
- Prioritise risk: Focus on the highest-impact assets and use contextual insights to guide remediation
- Apply Zero Trust principles: Assume breach, verify explicitly, and apply least-privilege access
- Leverage automation: Use Logic Apps and built-in workflows to reduce manual effort
- Track progress: Monitor Secure Score and compliance benchmarks to measure improvement over time
Why It Matters
According to Microsoft’s research, organisations using Defender for Cloud experience:
- 50% reduction in false positives
- 30% reduction in time to remediate threats
- $5.6M in SecOps productivity savings over three years
Security isn't just about protection – it’s about enabling agility and resilience in the face of change.
Next Steps
Security in the cloud isn’t about doing more – it’s about doing it better, with the right tools and partners.
From discovery and enablement to implementation and optimisation, we’ll support you every step of the way.