SOC 2 Compliance for Microsoft Azure
Azure's enterprise-grade security features make it an ideal choice for SOC 2. By leveraging Entra ID and Azure Monitor, you can maintain a highly defensible compliance posture.
Core Microsoft Azure Controls
Identity & Access (Entra ID)
Enforce MFA via Conditional Access policies, use Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for JIT admin access, and sync with your HRIS for automated offboarding.
Logging & Monitoring (Azure Monitor / Sentinel)
Centralize all resource logs in a Log Analytics workspace. Use Azure Sentinel for SIEM capabilities and automated alerting on security-critical events.
Data Security (Azure Key Vault)
Manage all application secrets, certificates, and encryption keys in Key Vault. Use managed identities to allow resources to access secrets without stored credentials.
Network Security (Azure Firewall/NSGs)
Use Network Security Groups (NSGs) to restrict traffic at the subnet level. Implement Azure Firewall for centralized outbound traffic filtering and auditability.
Auditor-Vetted Best Practices
Use Azure Blueprints or Bicep templates to deploy standardized, compliant environments across subscriptions.
Leverage Microsoft Defender for Cloud to get real-time security posture scoring and remediation advice.
Implement Azure Policy to enforce compliance guardrails (e.g., "deny all unencrypted storage accounts").
Use Azure Bastion for secure, RDP/SSH access to VMs without public IP addresses.
Infrastructure-as-Code is Key
The fastest way to achieve SOC 2 on Microsoft Azure is to define your entire environment in code. This provides an immutable audit trail that auditors love.
View IaC ChecklistKevin A
Principal Security & GRC Engineer
Kevin is a security engineer turned GRC specialist. He focuses on mapping cloud-native infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP) to modern compliance frameworks, ensuring that security controls are both robust and auditor-ready without slowing down development cycles.
SOC 2 and Microsoft Azure FAQs
How does Microsoft Azure support SOC 2 compliance?
Microsoft Azure provides native security controls (IAM, logging, encryption) that map to SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria. Proper configuration and evidence collection from Microsoft Azure can satisfy a significant portion of technical control requirements.
What SOC 2 controls map to Microsoft Azure?
Common mappings include: access control (IAM/users and roles), change management (audit logs and deployment pipelines), logical access (MFA and least privilege), and monitoring (logging and alerting). See our implementation guide above for platform-specific control mapping.
How do we collect evidence from Microsoft Azure for our audit?
Evidence from Microsoft Azure typically includes: configuration exports, access review reports, audit/activity logs, and encryption settings. Compliance automation tools can pull evidence continuously; otherwise, export and store evidence per your auditor's requirements.
Does Microsoft Azure integrate with compliance automation (Vanta, Drata)?
Most major cloud and SaaS platforms, including Microsoft Azure, offer integrations or APIs used by compliance automation tools. Check your automation provider's integration list and enable the Microsoft Azure connector for continuous evidence collection.
About RiscLens
Our mission is to provide transparency and clarity to early-stage technology companies navigating the complexities of SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) compliance.
Who we serve
Built specifically for early-stage and growing technology companies—SaaS, fintech, and healthcare tech—preparing for their first SOC 2 audit or responding to enterprise customer requirements.
What we provide
Clarity before commitment. We help teams understand realistic cost ranges, timeline expectations, and common gaps before they engage auditors or expensive compliance vendors.
Our Boundaries
We do not provide legal advice, audit services, or certifications. Our assessments support internal planning—they are not a substitute for professional compliance guidance.
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a voluntary compliance standard for service organizations, developed by the AICPA, which specifies how organizations should manage customer data based on the Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
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