Azure Policy is vital in today’s age of cloud-based governance. It allows you to adhere to regulatory requirements while maintaining compliance. This guide will take you through every step to set up Azure policy.

Step 1: Identify the Compliance Requirements

Defining compliance requirements within your company is a good first step. These regulations may include best practices, internal security policies, and industry regulations. Policies can be tailored in accordance with these expectations by clearly defining them.

Step 2: Access Azure Policy

Log onto the Azure portal. To access the Azure Policy dashboard you need to search for “Policy”.

Step 3: Explore Azure’s Built-in Policies Definitions

Azure’s library of policies is designed to satisfy common compliance requirements. Click “Definitions”, then click the policies you need to meet your compliance requirements.

Step 4: If needed, create custom policy definitions

If you cannot find a policy that meets your needs, a custom policy can be created. Click “Definitions”, “Add policy” and “Save.” You will have to give the name, description, and JSON-structure of its rules.

Step 5: Assign Policies To Scopes Clicking “Assign Policy”, you will be able to assign policies for compliance to various resources such as subscriptions, management groups, and resource groups. You can choose your policy first, then specify its scope. This way you can enforce compliance across all resources.

Step 6 – Monitor Compliance

Azure will assess resource compliance to policies once they have been assigned. When you navigate to the Policy dashboard’s Compliance section, you can check compliance status. You’ll see which resources adhere to policies and which do NOT.

Step 7 – Remediate non-compliant resources

Azure offers several options for remediating resource that aren’t compliant. Then, select the noncompliant resource to review suggested actions. Automate or manually rectify remediation if applicable.