Speaker 1: All right, listener name ready to dive into this whole
Speaker 1: security transformation thing. Absolutely, you've been digging into all this
Speaker 1: stuff about modern security practices Microsoft Solutions, getting ready for
Speaker 1: that SC nine hundred exam.
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, looks like you've been spending some serious time
Speaker 2: with that Microsoft Security Compliance and Identity Fundamentals Exam ref.
Speaker 2: SC nine hundred book.
Speaker 1: It's a gold mine, that's for sure. I mean, where
Speaker 1: do you even start with something this big?
Speaker 2: Well, what I found really interesting is how the book
Speaker 2: kicks things off. It's like, remember back when we thought
Speaker 2: we could just build a digital fortress around our computers
Speaker 2: and data, like with a good firewall. We thought that
Speaker 2: was enough, you know.
Speaker 1: Oh, totally like those medieval castles with the moats and
Speaker 1: the drawbridges. You're either in or you're out exactly.
Speaker 2: But as the book makes clear, the way we work
Speaker 2: now it's completely different. We're accessing sensitive information from everywhere.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and from like every device imaginable, our phones, laptops,
Speaker 1: even our smart watches. It's kind of crazy when you
Speaker 1: think about.
Speaker 2: It, right, So that old school fortress mentality, yeah, it
Speaker 2: just doesn't cut it anymore. The book really drives that
Speaker 2: point home.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's not just theoretical either. You know, like
Speaker 1: that story we saw about the rise and ransomware attacks,
Speaker 1: it's happening everywhere now, even to smaller businesses.
Speaker 2: Exactly. It's not just about protecting big corporate secrets anymore.
Speaker 2: It's about safeguarding those everyday operations, the stuff that keeps
Speaker 2: businesses running.
Speaker 1: Makes you realize just how important this whole security transformation
Speaker 1: thing really is.
Speaker 2: It is, and that's really the core of what this
Speaker 2: book is getting at. It's not about becoming a cybersecurity
Speaker 2: expert overnight. It's more about equipping yourself with a new mindset,
Speaker 2: a security.
Speaker 1: Mindset, and that's something everyone needs, regardless of what you
Speaker 1: do or where you work, right one hundred percent, So,
Speaker 1: if we're ditching the whole fortress analogy, what's the new
Speaker 1: way to think about security? There was this one phrase
Speaker 1: in the book that really stuck with me.
Speaker 2: Identity is the new perimeter. It's everywhere these days.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's the one. It's catchy and all, But what's
Speaker 1: the practical side of it? How does that actually play out?
Speaker 2: Think about it. Our online lives, everything from banking to
Speaker 2: work stuff, even just scrolling through social media. It all
Speaker 2: comes down to our logins, right, our identities.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's true. Our digital footprint is everywhere.
Speaker 2: Exactly, So as we move more and more into this
Speaker 2: cloud first world, that identity, it becomes the most important
Speaker 2: thing to protect.
Speaker 1: Okay, that makes sense. So it's like our digital fingerprint
Speaker 1: is like the new key to the castle.
Speaker 2: You're getting it. But here's where it gets even trickier.
Speaker 2: Remember how you mentioned those stories about passwords getting hacked,
Speaker 2: even those super complicated ones.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it makes you feel like nothing is ever truly safe.
Speaker 2: Right. Even a strong password isn't a guarantee anymore. Hackers
Speaker 2: are getting too good. That's where IAM comes in, Identity
Speaker 2: and Access Management.
Speaker 1: IAM. Right, that was in the book. I have to
Speaker 1: admit that one sounded a bit like a tech jumble
Speaker 1: to me at first.
Speaker 2: It's easy to get lost in the jargon, but the
Speaker 2: idea itself is pretty straightforward. It all boils down to
Speaker 2: least privilege. Least privilege, Okay, basically, you only give users
Speaker 2: access to the specific data and systems they absolutely need
Speaker 2: to do their jobs. Nothing more, nothing less, So no.
Speaker 1: More giving everyone the master key to the castle.
Speaker 2: Exactly. It's all about damage control by limiting access even
Speaker 2: if someone does manage to slip through, you've minimized the
Speaker 2: potential fallout.
Speaker 1: That makes a lot of sense. So instead of blindly
Speaker 1: trusting everyone inside the castle walls, we're being more strategic
Speaker 1: about who gets in and what they can access.
Speaker 2: Now you're getting it. And speaking of castle walls, remember
Speaker 2: how the book talked about defense in depth. I thought
Speaker 2: that was a really interesting concept.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it sounds like it takes the castle analogy to
Speaker 1: a whole new level.
Speaker 2: It does. So imagine a real medieval castle, right, You
Speaker 2: got your outer walls, yeah, but then you've got the moat,
Speaker 2: the drawbridge, guard towers, maybe even a dungeon or two.
Speaker 2: Sounds very elaborate, it was, And that's what defense and
Speaker 2: depth is all about, creating multiple layers of security, each
Speaker 2: one designed to protect against a different kind of threat.
Speaker 1: Okay, so it's not about just one big, impenetrable wall,
Speaker 1: but rather a series of smaller, more targeted defenses.
Speaker 2: You got it. Think of it as a layered approach
Speaker 2: to security.
Speaker 1: So walk me through those layers a bit more. Where
Speaker 1: do we even begin?
Speaker 2: All right? Well, the first one is the most obvious
Speaker 2: physical security, but in the cloud world, that's mainly the
Speaker 2: provider's responsibility.
Speaker 1: So we can take that one off the list pretty much.
Speaker 2: Microsoft's got these massive data centers, top notch security. They've
Speaker 2: got that part covered.
Speaker 1: That's reassuring at least.
Speaker 2: What's next, Well, we just talked about it. Identity and
Speaker 2: access management, that's your new front line. Then you've got
Speaker 2: perimeter security.
Speaker 1: That sounds familiar. So we're talking firewalls here, yeah, but.
Speaker 2: Not your grandpa's firewall. Yeah, these things are seriously sophisticated.
Speaker 2: They're analyzing network traffic for anything suspicious.
Speaker 1: So firewalls have gone high tech.
Speaker 2: Big temp. Then moving inwards, you've got network security. It's
Speaker 2: about segmenting your network, dividing it.
Speaker 1: Up, Okay, like dividing the castle into separate.
Speaker 2: Wings precisely that way, if one part gets compromised, the
Speaker 2: intruder can't just waltz into every other area.
Speaker 1: Containment is key smart strategy. So we've got the perimeter covered,
Speaker 1: the network itself. But what about the actual data, the
Speaker 1: servers where it all lives. How do we protect that?
Speaker 2: Ah, excellent question. That's where compute security comes in. Making
Speaker 2: sure the servers are locked down, tight configured, properly patched
Speaker 2: up and the data itself is encrypted. Remember you asked
Speaker 2: about encryption listener name right.
Speaker 1: Encryption is like the ultimate shield for sensitive information, exactly
Speaker 1: like having.
Speaker 2: A digital vault. No one can crack love it.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we've got all these layers in place. Everyone's
Speaker 1: doing their part, but who ultimately calls the shots. Who's
Speaker 1: responsible for making sure this whole intricate security setup actually works?
Speaker 2: Ah? Now this is where it gets really interesting. The
Speaker 2: book dives into this whole concept of shared responsibility in
Speaker 2: the cloud.
Speaker 1: Shared responsibility huh yep.
Speaker 2: So Microsoft as the cloud provider, they take care of
Speaker 2: their end of the bargain, think physical security, the infrastructures,
Speaker 2: but when it comes to managing your data, controlling user access,
Speaker 2: that responsibility still falls on you.
Speaker 1: So it's more of a partnership than anything.
Speaker 2: You got it. It's a joint effort and the level
Speaker 2: of responsibility it actually changes depending on what kind of
Speaker 2: cloud service you're using. And remember how the book talked
Speaker 2: about iis pious.
Speaker 1: And sauce vaguely acronyms aren't exactly my forte, no worries, it's.
Speaker 2: A lot to keep straight. Think of it like this,
Speaker 2: ias infrastructure as a service it's like building your own house.
Speaker 2: You've got all the control, but you're also responsible for everything.
Speaker 1: Makes sense.
Speaker 2: Then there's pious platform as a service that's more like
Speaker 2: rending a furnished department, and sauce software as a service
Speaker 2: that's like checking into a hotel. They handle most of
Speaker 2: the stuff, you just show up.
Speaker 1: Okay, that analogy actually makes it much clearer. Different levels
Speaker 1: of control, different levels of responsibility exactly.
Speaker 2: But even with the best defenses, a solid understanding of
Speaker 2: who's doing what, there's always a chance something could slip through.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a bit unsettling.
Speaker 2: It's the nature beast. Unfortunately. That's why this next principle
Speaker 2: the book talks about is so important. Zero trust.
Speaker 1: Zero trust. Huh, that sounds pretty intense.
Speaker 2: It is a big change from how we used to
Speaker 2: think about security. Instead of assuming trust within your network,
Speaker 2: zero trust is all about verifying everything and everyone all
Speaker 2: the time, no exceptions.
Speaker 1: Wait, so you're saying I shouldn't even trust my own devices.
Speaker 1: That seems a bit extreme, doesn't it. I mean it
Speaker 1: sounds a little like we're assuming everyone is out to
Speaker 1: get us.
Speaker 2: Well, think of it less about suspicion and more about
Speaker 2: being prepared.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Remember that news story you shared, the one about that
Speaker 2: really convincing fishing scam.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that was a tricky.
Speaker 2: One, right, Things aren't always what they seem. Zero trust
Speaker 2: just acknowledges that trust can be broken. It's about adopting
Speaker 2: this mindset of never trust, always verify.
Speaker 1: Okay, that makes sense. So how does this zero trust
Speaker 1: thing actually work? How do you even put that into practice?
Speaker 2: So the book breaks it down into three parts. First,
Speaker 2: there's the signal. It's basically an indication that something might
Speaker 2: be a little off. Think of it like those motion
Speaker 2: detectors you have for your home security system listener name.
Speaker 1: Right, Like an alert that something's not quite right exactly.
Speaker 2: So, for example, maybe there's an unexpected log in attempt
Speaker 2: from a new device, or someone's trying to access files
Speaker 2: they shouldn't have permission for those, red flag exactly. So
Speaker 2: that's the signal. Then you've got the decision phase. Okay,
Speaker 2: based on that signal, what are we going to do
Speaker 2: about it? Block the access attempt altogether, require some extra verification,
Speaker 2: like using multi factor authentication.
Speaker 1: Which, let me tell you, as someone who forgets their
Speaker 1: passwords constantly, I'm a big fan of MFA. It's a
Speaker 1: life saver, it really is.
Speaker 2: And finally you've got the enforcement piece, which is basically
Speaker 2: putting that decision into action, the actual security measure that
Speaker 2: gets triggered.
Speaker 1: Okay, so it's a whole process, kind of like a
Speaker 1: digital security checkpoint exactly.
Speaker 2: Zero trust isn't just about being skeptical. It's about having
Speaker 2: a system in place to analyze and respond to those
Speaker 2: potential threats.
Speaker 1: So we're not just relying on blind trust anymore. We've
Speaker 1: got these systems in place to back us up.
Speaker 2: Precisely, speaking of systems, remember how the book got into
Speaker 2: all those Microsoft security tools. I have to say, they've
Speaker 2: really got you covered on that front.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I was blown away by that. It wasn't just theory.
Speaker 1: It was like, here's what you can actually use to
Speaker 1: put these principles into practice. Were there any tools that
Speaker 1: stood out to you?
Speaker 2: Oh? Definitely. Azure Active Directory or Azure AD as it's
Speaker 2: usually called, is a big.
Speaker 1: One, right, And you know, I love a good acronym.
Speaker 1: But what is it? Exactly?
Speaker 2: Etically, it's your command center for managing all those digital
Speaker 2: identities and access permissions.
Speaker 1: Ah So, going back to that idea of identity is
Speaker 1: the new perimeter. This is how we manage it all exactly.
Speaker 2: Think of it as the nervous system of your whole
Speaker 2: security setup. And to make it even stronger, there's Azure
Speaker 2: AD Multi Factor Authentication MFA. You already mentioned you're a fan.
Speaker 1: Can't live without it.
Speaker 2: It's essential that extra layer of security beyond just the password,
Speaker 2: you know, like needing that code from your phone or
Speaker 2: email apps.
Speaker 1: Okay, so that helps with those more direct threats. But
Speaker 1: what about those sneakier attacks, the ones that are harder
Speaker 1: to detect.
Speaker 2: Well, Microsoft's got something for that too, Azure AD Identity Protection. Okay,
Speaker 2: and this does it's constantly analyzing user behavior, looking for
Speaker 2: anything out of the ordinary, like if someone starts acting
Speaker 2: suspiciously accessing things they don't normally access. Is like having
Speaker 2: a security guard who's always watching even when you don't
Speaker 2: realize it.
Speaker 1: That's pretty impressive. So we're talking next level security here exactly.
Speaker 2: And to protect all those Azure resources you're using, there
Speaker 2: is Microsoft Defender for Cloud. It's designed specifically for the
Speaker 2: Azure environment, so it's constantly scanning for vulnerabilities, making sure
Speaker 2: everything's locked down tight.
Speaker 1: Okay, so that's Azure covered. But what about all the
Speaker 1: other cloud apps we're all using these days, you know,
Speaker 1: the ones that aren't directly tied to Azure.
Speaker 2: You're right, those are easy overlook. But thankfully Microsoft has
Speaker 2: a solution for that too, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.
Speaker 1: Ah, so nothing slips through the cracks exactly.
Speaker 2: It's like having a watchful eye on all your cloud apps,
Speaker 2: even those ones that might have knuck in through the
Speaker 2: back door.
Speaker 1: No more shadow it, then love it. Yeah, and I
Speaker 1: know the book also mentioned Microsoft three sixty five Defender.
Speaker 1: What's that all about?
Speaker 2: That one's your go to for all things Microsoft three
Speaker 2: sixty five. It's like a security blanket specifically for your email, documents,
Speaker 2: collaboration tools, the whole shebang.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we've got security covered from all angles. But
Speaker 1: there was another big theme in the book that really
Speaker 1: resonated with me. Compliance. It feels like a whole other
Speaker 1: beast to tackle, especially for someone like me who's still
Speaker 1: getting up to speed on all things cybersecurity.
Speaker 2: It's definitely important. Yeah, it can feel overwhelming, but here's
Speaker 2: the good news. Microsoft offers tools to help you navigate
Speaker 2: that maze. Have you heard of Compliance Manager?
Speaker 1: It rings a bell, but refresh my memory.
Speaker 2: It's basically your compliance sidekick. It helps you keep track
Speaker 2: of all those industry standards regulations, making sure you're ticking
Speaker 2: all the right boxes.
Speaker 1: Ah. So it takes some of the guesswork out of compliance.
Speaker 1: That's reasty sure exactly.
Speaker 2: Compliance doesn't have to be a headache.
Speaker 1: This has been an amazing deep dive. It's clear why
Speaker 1: this book is so helpful for anyone tackling that SC
Speaker 1: nine hundred exam, or even if they just want to
Speaker 1: level up their cybersecurity know.
Speaker 2: How agreed, it's really practical, but it also brings up
Speaker 2: some really important questions, like the one the book leaves
Speaker 2: us with, how do we balance all these robust security
Speaker 2: measures with the need to respect user privacy.
Speaker 1: It's a fine line, for sure, and such a relevant
Speaker 1: topic these days. I mean, it's clear security is not
Speaker 1: a one time thing, it's an ongoing journey. Well, on
Speaker 1: that note, thanks for joining me on this deep dive.
Speaker 1: Listener name until next time.