In previous posts, we covered onboarding resources into Azure Arc. Now we move into what makes Arc truly powerful — applying consistent governance and compliance across hybrid and multicloud environments.
This post focuses on using Azure Policy, Guest Configuration, and Defender for Cloud to manage your Arc-enabled resources at scale.
🛡️ Why Governance Matters in a Hybrid World
Once you’ve connected non-Azure resources to Azure Arc, simply having visibility isn’t enough. You need to ensure that:
- Required configurations are enforced
- Non-compliant systems are flagged (and optionally remediated)
- Policies span both cloud and on-prem systems
- You maintain a consistent security baseline
Azure Arc lets you apply the same governance model to machines and clusters wherever they live — on-premises, AWS, or the edge.
📜 Applying Azure Policy to Arc Resources
With Azure Policy, you can assign controls to:
- Arc-enabled servers
- Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters
- Arc-registered SQL instances
Common use cases include:
- Enforcing log collection via Azure Monitor
- Requiring tags for cost tracking
- Auditing insecure protocols (e.g. SMBv1, TLS 1.0)
- Validating OS configurations or software installations
You can assign policies at the subscription or resource group level, just like native Azure VMs.
🧩 Initiative Definitions and Guest Configuration
When enforcing compliance at scale, group policies into initiatives (e.g. CIS benchmarks, ISO27001).
For deeper control over operating systems, use Guest Configuration:
- Validate local file contents, registry keys, or config files
- Detect missing updates or misconfigured audit settings
- Works with Windows and many supported Linux distros
📝 Tip: Guest Configuration requires the machine to have the Azure Policy extension installed — typically done at onboarding or via Policy.
🛡️ Defender for Cloud Integration
Arc-enabled machines and Kubernetes can be onboarded into Defender for Cloud to enable:
- Vulnerability assessments
- Regulatory compliance scoring
- Just-in-time access recommendations
- Threat detection (SQL, file integrity monitoring, etc.)
Once onboarded, Arc resources appear just like native Azure machines in the Defender portal.
🧪 Example: Apply a Policy to Enforce Monitoring
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