Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Defender for Cloud is the pragmatic default for Azure-centric estates: it's already licensed and already in the portal, which matters more to adoption than most feature comparisons.
Updated
How I use it
- Secure score baselining and prioritisation against actual attack paths, not the raw score
- Multicloud CSPM extension into AWS and GCP where a client is Azure-primary but not Azure-only
- Kubernetes and container posture, including admission-time enforcement
- Regulatory compliance dashboard mapped to the frameworks that matter to the client
Recurring problems I find
- Chasing secure score points that don't reduce real risk
- Multicloud connectors enabled but never reviewed
AI-SPM now covers Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Foundry, Bedrock and Vertex AI, though Foundry agent discovery now sits under a separate licence.
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