Microsoft Brings Enhanced Defender for Cloud Support to U.S. Government Cloud Offerings
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Microsoft is stepping up its security for U.S. government agencies. The company has expanded Microsoft Defender for Cloud to include Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and the full feature set of Defender for Servers Plan 2 in its Government Cloud offerings.
With this update, Defender CSPM is now available in Microsoft Azure Government (MAG) and Government Community Cloud High (GCCH). These environments meet strict standards like FedRAMP High and DISA IL4/IL5.
For agencies, that means continuous visibility into their cloud security posture, not just during audits but every day. Worth noting that CSPM tracks configuration changes, flags risks, and helps teams fix issues before they become problems.
It also uses attack path analysis to focus attention on the threats that matter most. And because it’s agentless, agencies can run scans without adding software to sensitive or older systems.
Server Security Reaches Full Parity
Microsoft has also rolled out the complete Defender for Servers Plan 2 in the U.S. GovCloud. The upgrade brings advanced protections such as agentless malware detection, secrets discovery, vulnerability assessments, and file integrity monitoring. It also includes baseline recommendations to keep environments in line with federal requirements.
For agencies managing complex server setups across on-prem, hybrid, and multicloud platforms, these features offer automated protection and compliance checks. This will eventually reduce the gaps that manual processes can leave behind.
Not to mention, government customers can turn on Defender CSPM or Defender for Servers Plan 2 through the Azure portal. Once enabled, both services run continuously, helping agencies maintain a strong security posture in some of the most regulated environments in the world.
Microsoft has also explained the steps to enable the Defender CSPM and Defender for Servers plans on your subscription. You can check it below:
- First, sign in to the Azure portal.
- Then, search for and select Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
- Next, in the Defender for Cloud menu, select Environment settings.
- Now, select the relevant Azure subscription, AWS account or GCP project.
- On the Defender plans page, toggle the Defender CSPM plan and/or Defender for Servers to On.
- Finally, select Save.
