SoftwareOne logo

6 min to read

Elevating your Zero Trust security: How Microsoft solutions work together

gama-mario-contact
Mario GamaPractice Leader
business-value-with-security-at-the-core-adobe-598538570-blog-hero

In today’s evolving threat landscape, traditional perimeter-based security is no longer sufficient. As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated:

“We've spent years building our zero trust approach internally at Microsoft… We are committed to sharing what we have learned to help every organisation accelerate their progress”.

Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender for Cloud and more recently Microsoft Copilot for Security are tools the technology company has released to help companies “accelerate their progress” towards world-class security.

All three are part of a powerful ecosystem of security tools that includes Entra Suite, Intune Purview and more. All to help organisations implement a Zero Trust model. But how do these tools complement each other? And where should you begin?

What is Zero Trust?

Before comparing Microsoft solutions, it’s first helpful to understand their purpose. Essentially, these technologies can be used to support a Zero Trust security model.

A quick recap to understand the differences between Zero Trust and the traditional security model:

  • Traditional security

    Someone enters your systems with a username and the correct password. You implicitly trust that this person is a ‘good actor’ because they’ve got the correct login credentials. Once they’re inside, they can do whatever they want on your network.

    If a hacker has entered your systems, there are almost no checks to prevent them doing any more damage.

  • Zero Trust model

    Someone enters your systems with the correct credentials. However, they are only given access to files or systems that they have been given permission to view. If they want to explore more of your network, they need to prove who they are again. They must regularly confirm their identity – often using very advanced authentication methods (such as biometrics).

    If a hacker has entered your system, their progress will continually be slowed or stopped.

Zero Trust is not a single product—it’s a strategic framework. Microsoft’s security solutions are designed to support this model across identity, endpoints, data, apps, infrastructure, and networks.

Microsoft solutions that empower Zero Trust

If your organisation primarily uses Microsoft technology, then there are a set of solutions that help support a Zero Trust model across your environment. They have several things in common but also have a slightly different purpose from one another.

Solution Purpose Zero Trust capability Component
Microsoft Entra ID Identity and access management Enforces MFA, conditional access, identity protection Identity, Network
Microsoft Defender for Identity Identity threat detection and response Detects compromised identities, lateral movement, and insider threats Identity
Microsoft Defender XDR Threat detection and response Protects endpoints, identities, email, and apps Endpoint, Threat Detection & Response
Microsoft Sentinel SIEM and SOAR Centralized analytics, threat hunting, automation (SIEM/SOAR) Cross / All Threat Detection & Response
Microsoft Copilot for Security AI-powered security assistant Accelerates investigations, policy enforcement (GenAI) Cross / All Threat Detection & Response
Microsoft Intune Endpoint management Ensures device compliance and secure access (MDM/MAM) Endpoint, Infrastructure
Microsoft Purview Data governance and compliance Protects sensitive data, DLP, insider risk Data
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Cloud security posture management Secures multi-cloud workloads and infrastructure Infrastructure, Network
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Monitors and controls access to cloud applications Application
Microsoft Entra Private Access Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution Provides secure, identity-based access to private applications Network , Application
Microsoft Entra Application Proxy Application-level access proxy Enables secure remote access to on-premises apps without a VPN Network, Application
elevating-your-zero-trust security-image1
Figure 1 Layered Zero-Trust with Microsoft Security. Source: SoftwareOne/Mario Gama.

Imagine an employee working remotely who attempts to access a sensitive internal application hosted in a hybrid environment. The Zero Trust model kicks in immediately. Microsoft Entra ID verifies the user’s identity using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and evaluates risk signals like location, device compliance, and sign-in behaviour. If the device is managed and compliant, as confirmed by Microsoft Intune, access proceeds. The request is routed securely through Microsoft Entra Private Access or Application Proxy, ensuring the user connects without exposing the app to the public internet. Meanwhile, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint continuously monitors the device for threats, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps inspects the session for risky behaviour or data exfiltration attempts. If the user accesses sensitive files, Microsoft Purview applies data loss prevention (DLP) policies and encryption. All activities are logged and analysed in Microsoft Sentinel, where Copilot for Security assists analysts by summarising events and suggesting automated responses. This seamless orchestration ensures that access is granted only after rigorous, real-time Zero Trust checks—without compromising user productivity.

This is the empowerment an integrated solution, like Microsoft’s Security Portfolio, can provide companies around the world with, no matter the size or market/sector.

So, which solution should you start with?

When embarking on your Zero Trust journey, it’s natural to ask: where do I begin? First suggestion is to review the previous articles from this blog series where we show in detail how to approach Zero-Trust. Also, building a strong foundation that gives you visibility, context, and control across your digital estate is always the best bet. In general, we see the adoption of Zero-Trust covering Identity & Access, using Microsoft Entra ID as the initial layer of defence. While it’s crucial to have Entra, this layer without monitoring and having visibility is not a recommended approach. A comprehensive plan would include Microsoft Entra, but also Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Copilot for Security as your bedrock.

Microsoft Sentinel acts as your central nervous system. It collects and correlates signals from all your Microsoft and third-party security tools—identity, endpoints, cloud apps, infrastructure, and more. With built-in AI and automation, it helps you detect threats early, respond quickly, and reduce alert fatigue. Complementary, Microsoft Copilot for Security enhances this foundation by empowering your security team with generative AI. It summarizes incidents, suggests remediations, and even writes KQL queries—dramatically accelerating investigations and reducing time to resolution. Runs integrated to all Microsoft Security Solutions and speed up the troubleshooting, Incident Response and Reporting.

Considering that Security Monitoring and Governance are in place, using Sentinel and Copilot, you can confidently layer in other Zero Trust components:

  1. Identity & Access: Deploy Microsoft Entra ID with Conditional Access and MFA.
  2. Endpoint Security: Onboard devices with Microsoft Intune and Defender for Endpoint.
  3. Data Protection: Classify and protect sensitive data using Microsoft Purview.
  4. Cloud Security: Secure workloads with Defender for Cloud and Defender for Cloud Apps.
  5. ZTNA: Secure network access and implement micro segmentation for network and infrastructure assets.

Organisations can begin their Zero Trust journey from moment zero by activating foundational capabilities within Microsoft Entra ID—such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), Conditional Access, and identity protection policies. These features immediately reduce risk by verifying user identities and enforcing access controls based on real-time context. From there, the implementation evolves in layers, integrating endpoint protection, data governance, and threat detection tools like Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Purview. A Zero-Trust adoption program varies depending on the complexity of your IT environment, existing infrastructure, and organisational priorities. The key is to start with visibility and control, then build maturity progressively, ensuring each layer of security reinforces the next.

elevating-your-zero-trust security-image2
Figure 2 - Conceptual Zero-Trust Adoption Timeline using Microsoft Security ecosystem. Source: SoftwareOne/Mario Gama

Microsoft Security Copilot. AI Central Intelligence Platform.

What if we had the ability to protect at the speed and scale of AI? This is the concept behind Microsoft Copilot for Security. Fully Integrated with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender, Copilot for Security enables organisations to:

  1. Resolve incidents at speeds never seen before.
  2. Quickly apply policies and configure devices with best practices.
  3. Using natural language to summarise policies and reports.
  4. Find risky users through GenAI.

Copilot natively levels up the capacity of cybersecurity teams to react to threats and accelerate Security Analysts’ tasks. In a recent study, security professionals with Copilot for Security presented 7% more accurate answers and 22% faster responses, which is a significant improvement.

elevating-your-zero-trust security-image3
Figure 3 End-to-End Zero Trust. Source: Copilot for Security launch session

A complete set of tools to support Zero Trust

If your organisation is looking to implement a Zero Trust security model, then Microsoft Security can contribute towards that ambition. And Copilot for Security can accelerate your adoption and management. By configuring them to your organisation’s needs and context, all these technologies provide powerful methods for making a secure, Zero Trust model possible.

Looking to implement Zero Trust across your IT network? SoftwareOne can help. Our highly experienced teams can support you to configure Zero Trust solutions like Entra, Sentinel, Defender, Intune and Copilot - and ensure your systems are secure.

Neon lights against a black background

Envision the art of the possible

If you want to understand your current security score and how you can move towards a Zero Trust model, request a free one hour envision workshop with SoftwareOne *.

*Subject to regional availability.

Envision the art of the possible

If you want to understand your current security score and how you can move towards a Zero Trust model, request a free one hour envision workshop with SoftwareOne *.

*Subject to regional availability.

Author

gama-mario-contact

Mario Gama
Practice Leader