“Security is not just about locking the doors but it’s about knowing which doors you forgot to lock in the first place.”
In the world of cloud computing, visibility and prioritization are your best friends. That’s exactly what Azure Secure Score offers: a central, easy-to-understand number that reflects your security posture and tells you where to focus next but knowing your score is just the start of improving it is where the real value lies.
In this article, we’ll break down how to effectively boost your Azure Secure Score, why it matters, and the practical steps to make an impact fast.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The Problem: Blind Spots in Cloud Security
- What is Azure Secure Score?
- Quick Wins to Boost Your Score
- Automation for Scalable Remediation
- Aligning with Security Best Practices
- Interesting Stats
- Real-World Impacts
- FAQs
- Key Takeaways
- Conclusion
1. Introduction
Security in Azure isn’t just about firewalls and encryption but it’s about continuous improvement. Cyber threats evolve daily, and so must your defenses.
The Azure Secure Score is Microsoft’s built-in metric that shows how well your resources are configured against security best practices. The higher the score, the stronger your posture (and the less attractive you are to opportunistic attackers).
2. The Problem: Blind Spots in Cloud Security
Without a centralized measure, security work can feel like whack-a-mole:
- You fix one vulnerability, but another appears elsewhere.
- Some changes make a big impact, others barely move the needle.
- Teams lack a shared, prioritized action list.
- The result? Effort is scattered, and critical issues may stay unresolved for too long.
“Cybersecurity is not about eliminating risk, it’s about managing it smartly” - Dmitri Alperovitch
3. What is Azure Secure Score?
Think of Azure Secure Score as a credit score for your cloud security:
- Score Calculation: Based on completed security recommendations vs. total possible points.
-
Categories Covered:
- Identity & Access Management
- Data Protection
- Apps & Infrastructure
- Network Security
- Device Compliance (if integrated with Microsoft 365)
- Purpose: Highlight the most impactful improvements you can make to reduce risk quickly.
Note: Secure Score updates every 8–24 hours depending on the control, so give it time to reflect your changes.
4. Quick Wins to Boost Your Score
If you want to see results fast, target high-impact, low-effort actions first:
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all users, especially admins.
- Block Legacy Authentication Protocols to prevent password spray and brute force attacks.
- Apply Just-In-Time (JIT) VM Access instead of leaving RDP/SSH ports open.
- Turn on Endpoint Protection for all VMs.
- Apply Disk Encryption (Azure Disk Encryption or Server-Side Encryption for storage).
- Remediate Vulnerabilities in VMs using Microsoft Defender for Cloud recommendations.
“Security is a journey, not a destination” - Jacob Morgan
5. Automation for Scalable Remediation
Manual remediation doesn’t scale. Azure gives you automation tools to fix issues in bulk:
- Auto-Remediation in Defender for Cloud : Use the “Fix” or “Enforce” buttons directly from recommendations.
- Azure Policy with ‘Deny’ Effect : Prevent insecure resources from being deployed in the first place.
- DeployIfNotExists policies : Automatically apply missing configurations (like enabling encryption).
- Azure Resource Graph (ARG) : Run Kusto queries across all subscriptions to find misconfigurations fast.
6. Aligning with Security Best Practices
Improving your score should also align with operational excellence:
- Zero Trust Principles : Verify every request, enforce least privilege, and assume breach.
- Layered Defenses : Combine firewalls, NSGs, WAF, and DDoS protection.
- Secure Administrative Access : Use Azure Bastion instead of direct RDP/SSH.
- Secrets Management : Store keys and credentials in Azure Key Vault.
- Regular Patching : Automate OS and application updates.
“Security is the silent enabler of business innovation” - Ann Davidson, Chief Security Officer at Oracle
7. Interesting Stats
- Blocking legacy authentication can cut account compromise risk by over 99% - Okta Security
- Organizations that review Secure Score weekly resolve high-risk issues faster - CertLibrary
8. Real-World Impacts
- Before Secure Score:
A company’s security team manually tracked vulnerabilities across multiple dashboards, often missing high-impact issues. Their improvement efforts felt random, and audit findings kept pointing to the same gaps.
- After Secure Score:
By following Secure Score recommendations, they:
- Prioritized actions by potential score increase.
- Automated patching and encryption policies.
- Improved score from 38% to 74% in 90 days.
- Passed their compliance audit with zero critical findings.
“Security isn’t an expense, it’s an investment in business continuity” - Richard Clarke, Former National Coordinator for Security
9. FAQs
Q: Can Secure Score drop even if I fix issues?
A: Yes, if new recommendations appear or if resources drift into non-compliance.
Q: Is a 100% Secure Score realistic?
A: Technically yes, but often unnecessary — aim for a score that balances risk, cost, and business needs.
Q: Does Secure Score replace compliance checks?
A: No, it’s a posture guide, not a compliance certification.
10. Key Takeaways
- Secure Score gives clear, prioritized visibility into your security posture.
- Start with quick wins like MFA and blocking legacy auth.
- Use automation to enforce and remediate at scale.
- Align improvements with Zero Trust and best practices.
- Track your score trends for continuous progress.
11. Conclusion
Improving your Azure Secure Score isn’t just about numbers but it’s about building a resilient cloud environment where threats are minimized, compliance is easier, and your team works smarter.
About the Author: Nilesh is a Lead DevOps Engineer at AddWebSolution, specializing in automation, CI/CD, and cloud scalability.
Top comments (0)