Managing Azure Arc Windows Servers with Azure Policy

Introduction

In our previous guide, we explored how to connect your on-premises Windows servers to the Azure cloud using Azure Arc. This integration opens up a world of Azure services and capabilities for your hybrid environment.

This guide will focus on leveraging Azure Policy to manage compliance and configuration for your Azure Arc-enabled Windows servers. We'll demonstrate this by automatically installing the Azure Monitor Agent.

Prerequisites:

• An Azure account with an active subscription.
• A Windows VM enabled with Azure Arc.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Log in to Azure and your Windows VM.

2. Create an Azure Policy:

   • Navigate to Azure Policy in the Azure portal.
   • Under Authoring, select Definitions.
   • Search for "Configure Windows Arc-Enabled machines" and select "Configure Arc-enabled machines to run Azure Monitor Agent".
   • Click Assign policy.
   • Select your subscription and resource group as the scope.
   • Navigate to the Remediation tab and enable "Create a remediation task".
   • Review and create the policy assignment.

3. Monitor Policy Compliance and Remediation:

   • Go back to Policy > Definitions and click Compliance.
   • Locate the policy and verify its non-compliant status.
   • The remediation task is automatically running. You can verify this in Policy > Remediation > Remediation tasks.

4. Verify Azure Monitor Agent Installation:

   • Navigate to Azure Arc > Machines.
   • Select your instance and go to Settings > Extensions.
   • Verify that the AzureMonitorWindowsAgent extension is installed.

Conclusion:
Congratulations! You've successfully used Azure Policy to ensure your Azure Arc-enabled Windows VM has the Azure Monitor Agent installed.

Next Steps:
In the next guide, we'll delve deeper into enhancing the security of your Azure Arc-enabled Windows servers using Microsoft Defender for Cloud.