Azure Security Center Adds New Proactive Features

• Azure Security Center helps prevent, detect, and respond to security threats to Azure VMs and other Azure resources.
• New features help prevent unauthorized access to Azure VMs at the network layer and block malicious or unauthorized applications on VMs.
• The new features require per-VM monthly fees and will not work with all existing VMs.

Expanding Azure Security Center

Azure Security Center helps prevent, detect, and respond to security threats to Azure resources such as VMs and Azure SQL Database instances. The service monitors activity, sends alerts, and recommends solutions if problems are detected. Up to this point, most features offered by Security Center were limited to advice on configurations and reporting logged data. Only a few have offered proactive protection. Two new features, one in preview and one generally available, look to offer capabilities designed to help organizations actively protect their Azure VMs from unauthorized access.

Just-in-time VM access leaves VM network ports used for management closed, except when requested and required.