Why Security Monitoring Matters

Azure environments generate massive security data — sign-ins, network events, VM vulnerabilities, suspicious user behavior. Without advanced security monitoring, threats can go undetected.

Two services are often mentioned together — Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender for Cloud — but they serve different purposes. As a Solution Architect, you must know how to position each in your design.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Purpose: Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) + Threat Protection

Key Capabilities:

• Continuously evaluates Azure resources for misconfigurations.

• Provides secure score to guide remediation.

• Offers hardening recommendations (e.g., enable encryption, restrict RDP).

• Threat detection for workloads (VMs, storage, SQL DBs).

• Integrates with Microsoft Defender (for endpoint, identity, etc.).

When to Use:

• To ensure resources are deployed securely.

• To monitor workloads for vulnerabilities.

• For recommendations and compliance tracking.

Microsoft Sentinel

Purpose: Cloud-native SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) + SOAR (Security Orchestration Automated Response).

Key Capabilities:

• Collects logs from Azure, on-prem, and multi-cloud sources.

• Analyzes telemetry using built-in AI/ML for threat detection.

• Enables hunting queries with Kusto Query Language (KQL).

• Automates response via playbooks (Logic Apps).

• Provides dashboards for SOC (Security Operations Center).

When to Use:

• For enterprise-wide threat detection and incident response.

• When correlating security data across many sources.

• For advanced SIEM/SOAR capabilities.

Defender vs Sentinel – Think of Them This Way

• Defender for Cloud = Doctor giving checkups and advice on keeping each Azure workload healthy.

• Sentinel = Security operations center (SOC) analyzing all signals, detecting patterns, and coordinating incident response.

Example Enterprise Scenario

A financial institution needs to:

• Ensure VMs are hardened and compliant with regulatory baselines.

• Detect suspicious activity across Azure, AWS, and on-prem firewalls.

• Automate alerts to security teams and trigger response workflows.

Correct design:

• Use Defender for Cloud to secure and monitor Azure workloads.

• Use Sentinel to collect logs from all environments and perform SIEM/SOAR analysis.

Confusion Buster

• Defender vs Sentinel

  • Defender = posture + workload protection.

  • Sentinel = SIEM/SOAR (log correlation + incident response).

• Sentinel vs Log Analytics

  • Sentinel is built on Log Analytics.

  • LAW = raw log collection.

  • Sentinel = intelligence + response layer.

Exam Tips

• “Which service provides secure score and compliance recommendations?” → Defender for Cloud.

• “Which service acts as a cloud-native SIEM?” → Sentinel.

• “Which service automates threat response playbooks?” → Sentinel with Logic Apps.

• “Which monitors VM vulnerabilities and suggests hardening actions?” → Defender for Cloud.

What to Expect in the Exam

• Direct Q: “Which service provides Azure Secure Score?” → Defender for Cloud.

• Scenario Q: “Company wants centralized threat detection across Azure, AWS, and on-prem.” → Sentinel.

• Trick Q: “Defender for Cloud and Sentinel are the same service.” → False.