Cloud Computing Köln

Announcing the general availability of Windows Server containers and private clusters for Azure Kubernetes Service

Today’s application environments are often heterogeneous, composed of both Windows and Linux applications. Using Kubernetes to host containers on both Windows Server and Linux not only saves costs but also reduces operational complexity. Many Azure customers have demonstrated this with their usage of Windows server containers. Their success in our preview makes me thrilled to announce the general availability of Windows Server container support on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). 

AKS simplifies the deployment and management of Kubernetes clusters and provides a highly reliable and available environment for your applications. It integrates seamlessly with world-class development tools such as GitHub and Visual Studio Code and is built on years of Microsoft security expertise focusing on data protection and compliance. With the general availability of Windows Server containers, you can now lift and shift your Windows applications to run on managed Kubernetes service with Azure and get the full benefits of AKS for your production workloads using consistent tools and processes. For example, you can create, upgrade, and scale Windows node pools in AKS through the standard tools (portal/CLI) and Azure will help manage the health of the cluster automatically. Running both Windows and Linux applications side by side in a single AKS cluster, you can modernize your operations processes for a broader set of applications while increasing the density (and thus lowering the costs) of your application environment.

Today, we're also announcing the general availability of both private clusters and managed identities support in AKS. This further empowers our customers to achieve hardened security and meet compliance requirements with reduced efforts. Private clusters ensure that customers can create and use managed Kubernetes that only exists inside their private network and never on the internet. This network isolation provides security assurances that are especially important for regulated industries like finance and health care. In addition, Azure managed identities for AKS allows you to interact securely with other Azure services including Azure Monitor for Containers, Azure Policy, and more. With the introduction of managed identity, you don’t have to manage your own service principals or rotate credentials often. 

Applying best practices makes it easier to optimize your enterprise Kubernetes environment and applications. We continue to develop more integrations between AKS and Azure Advisor, bringing industry best practices right into the AKS experience. Regardless whether you are new or a seasoned Kubernetes user, our customers receive proactive and actionable recommendations to secure resources, maintain cluster hygiene, and increase operational efficiency. These recommendations are based on our learnings from thousands of customer engagements. Likewise, we have integrated developer advice into the VS Code extension for Kubernetes and integrated security advice into the Azure Security Center. We are also focused on providing learning, frameworks, and tools to ensure developers, operators, and architects in every enterprise can successfully use Kubernetes on Azure. Putting all this together gives you more confidence in your use of Kubernetes even as you are learning the system.

We’re going through unprecedented challenges in the world today. I hope that these updates make it easier for you to secure and optimize your Kubernetes environment today, allowing you to focus your energy on your business critical projects. You can learn more about Kubernetes on Azure here.
Quelle: Azure

Accelerating Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance on Azure

As we deliver on our ongoing commitment to serving as the most secure and compliant cloud, we’re constantly adapting to the evolving landscape of cybersecurity to help our customers achieve compliance more rapidly. Our aim is to continue to provide our customers and partners with world-class cybersecurity technology, controls, and best practices, making compliance faster and easier with native capabilities in Azure and Azure Government, as well as Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365.

In architecting solutions with customers, a foundational component of increasing importance is building more secure and reliable supply chains. For many customers, this is an area where new tools, automation, and process maturity can improve an organization’s security posture while reducing manual compliance work.

In preparing for the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) from the Department of Defense (DoD), many of our customers and partners have asked for more information on how to prepare for audits slated to start as early as the summer of 2020. 

Designed to improve the security posture of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), CMMC requires an evaluation of the contractor’s technical security controls, process maturity, documentation, policies, and the processes that are in place and continuously monitored. Importantly, CMMC also requires validation by an independent, certified third-party assessment organization (C3PAO) audit, in contrast to the historical precedent of self-attestation.

Expanding compliance coverage to meet CMMC requirements

Common questions we’ve heard from customers include: “when will Azure achieve CMMC accreditation?” and “what Microsoft cloud environments will be certified?”

While the details are still being finalized by the DoD and CMMC Accreditation Body (CMMC AB), we expect some degree of reciprocity with FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, and NIST CSF, as many of the CMMC security controls map directly to controls under these existing cybersecurity frameworks. Ultimately, Microsoft is confident in its cybersecurity posture and is closely following guidance from DoD and the CMMC AB to demonstrate compliance to the C3PAOs. We will move quickly to be evaluated once C3PAOs are accredited and approved to begin conducting assessments. 

Microsoft’s goal is to continue to strengthen cybersecurity across the DIB through world-class cybersecurity technology, controls, and best practices, and to put its cloud customers in a position to inherit Microsoft’s security controls and eventual CMMC certifications. Our intent is to achieve certification for Microsoft cloud services utilized by DIB customers.

Note: While commercial environments are intended to be certified as they are for FedRAMP High, CMMC by itself should not be the deciding factor on choosing which environment is most appropriate. Most DIB companies are best aligned with Azure Government and Microsoft 365 GCC High for data handling of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

New CMMC acceleration program for a faster path to certification

The Microsoft CMMC acceleration program is an end-to-end program designed to help customers and partners that serve as suppliers to the DoD improve their cybersecurity maturity, develop the cyber critical thinking skills essential to CMMC, and benefit from the compliance capabilities native to Azure and Azure Government. 

The program will help you close compliance gaps and mitigate risks, evolve your cybersecurity toward a more agile and resilient defense posture, and help facilitate CMMC certification. Within this program, you’ll have access to a portfolio of learning resources, architectural references, and automated implementation tools custom-tailored to the certification journey.

For more information on participating in the program, email cmmc@microsoft.com. 

Learn more about the CMMC framework

Read our in-depth article on CMMC on the Microsoft Tech Communities blog, and stay tuned to the Azure Government Dev Blog for ongoing guidance on implementing Azure to achieve compliance with CMMC requirements.

Disclaimer: Customers are wholly responsible for ensuring their own compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Information provided in this post does not constitute legal advice, and customers should consult their legal advisors for any questions regarding legal or regulatory compliance.
Quelle: Azure