Shihan Suhail

Will AI Agents Disrupt GRC Workflows? In the ever-evolving cybersecurity and compliance landscape, Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) workflows have long been cumbersome, time-intensive, and manual. But changing times are here. The advent of AI agents — intelligent, self-directed computer programs that can examine vast quantities of structured and unstructured data — is beginning to disrupt the way that organizations deal with GRC. 1. Real-Time Risk Monitoring AI agents can examine systems, cloud configurations, user activity, and compliance needs in real-time that traditional GRC processes have historically processed in batches. Example: AI agents can point out a misconfigured S3 bucket or Azure role definition in real time, instead of waiting for the next audit. 2. Automated Control Mapping Instead of manually cross-mapping controls of standards like NIST 800–53, ISO27001, or CIS across AWS/Azure/GCP, AI agents can: Read security cont...

Introduction Organizations are constantly searching for methods to harness the potential use of the cloud to operate their operational architecture and compete in today’s fast-paced digital environment. As a Cloud service-providing giant, Microsoft Azure has established itself as a top cloud platform, providing a vast area of services to satisfy the various demands of organizations & Azure users all over the world. Now we will see what’s the first step before migrating our on-premise resources from other Cloud Service Providers to the Azure cloud platform. In this scenario, the Azure Landing Zone Review assessment can be useful. You can use the Azure Landing Zone Review assessment to analyze your current level of readiness and find gaps that need improvement. The questionnaire is based on governance, security, networking, identity, operations, and migration factors and is made up of question...

Implementing SOC 2 Compliance Framework Introduction I have implemented SOC 2 compliance and am aware of the challenges. SOC 2 ensures that customer information is secure. The framework provides guidelines for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. This step-by-step guide is developed on my experience. Step 1: Define the Scope First, decide on which Trust Services Criteria (TSC) apply to your business: Security (for all SOC 2 reports) Availability Processing Integrity Confidentiality Privacy Step 2: Gap Analysis Compare current security controls with SOC 2 controls. Identify missing policies, procedures, and controls. Based on this analysis, strengthen security before audit. To conduct the gap analysis: Read SOC 2 Criteria: Learn about controls needed for your selected TSC. Evaluate Current...

Automating Azure Resource Graph Queries with Logic Apps Overview Azure Resource Graph Explorer enables querying resources at scale across subscriptions, management groups, and entire tenants. If you need to execute queries periodically and take action on the results, Azure Logic Apps provides an automated solution. This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to: Write an Azure Resource Graph query to run periodically. Create an Azure Logic App with a System-Assigned Managed Identity. Set up a Managed Identity with appropriate access. Automate the execution of your Azure Resource Graph query via Logic Apps. Store query results in CSV format in Azure Blob Storage. Prerequisites An Azure subscription ( Sign up for a free account if you don’t have one.) An Azure Storage Account with a Blob Container. 1. Write an Azure Resourc...

Step-by-Step Guide to Connecting OpenAI with Azure Portal The integration of the OpenAI model into the Azure ecosystem gives organizations an unprecedented opportunity to harness the power of AI for a variety of applications. Microsoft Azure makes this process seamless through the Azure OpenAI Service, but it requires specific steps to get started. Below is a detailed guide to help you successfully integrate OpenAI with your Azure portal. Step 1: Set Up an Azure Account Requirement: Azure account. Login in to portal.azure.com . Sign in with your existing Microsoft account or create a new one. Step 2: Apply for Access to Azure OpenAI Service Note: Azure OpenAI Service isn’t available to all users by default. Microsoft requires businesses and developers to request access due to the nature of OpenAI models. Step 3: Creat...

Resolve VSS Writer Errors Without Rebooting How to Resolve VSS Writer Errors Without Rebooting Scenarios Scenario 1: Failed VSS Writers Backups fail due to VSS writers in a failed state, and rebooting the server immediately is not feasible. Scenario 2: VSS Writers Not Started A writer is not running and needs to be started. Running vssadmin list writers will show only currently started writers. Scenario 3: Using VShadow for Windows Server 2003 or XP VSS is available in the Volume Shadow Copy Service 7.2 SDK, which can be downloaded from the Windows Download Center. Troubleshooting Steps Scenario 1: Failed VSS Writers Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Start > Command Prompt > Right-click > Run as Administr...