To understand the difference between Group Policy and Azure Policy, we need to start with the architecture differences regarding how devices are seen in a Windows Server domain versus in Microsoft Azure.
Traditional Group Policy architecture is based on Users and Computers being objects in Active Directory, which both authenticate with the Domain. With the Cloud, this architecture is split somewhat.
These connection methods to Azure AD allow for:
So while you'll see Device Identities inside Azure Active Directory, the device settings that you can configure here are limited, and do not reflect the full set of workstation Group Policy settings you will find in Active Directory. For more information, visit https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/active-directory/devices/device-management-azure-portal?WT.mc_id=it... Many traditional device settings are instead managed via the Microsoft Endpoint Manager products.
Azure Policy, however, includes:
This means that:
Azure Policy is enforced by the Azure Resource Manager when an action occurs or a setting is queried, against a resource that ARM has access to. Group Policy is applied on login or policy refresh, when the user or device authenticates with the Active Directory domain.
Why would you use Azure Policy to do something that Group Policy can enforce?
If you're moving to use Azure Policy as your single point of administration for your Windows Servers, regardless of whether they're in Azure or not.
If you are using Azure Policy as your compliance dashboard to show in one place which resources are not compliant, across your hybrid infrastructure. (note: here Group Policy could still enforce the setting, but you'll define an Azure Policy to check that particular setting anyway, so it may not make sense to have to manage this in two places).
The next important point is that Azure Policies are assigned to all the things inside the policy "scope" - that is, a management group, a subscription or a resource group. You can exclude things from that scope - for example, apply the Policy to a management group of subscriptions, but exclude particular subscriptions or apply the Policy to a resource group and exclude particular resources. You cannot apply an Azure Policy to individual resources.
Policies can also have different effects, depending on if you want to add a setting (append), change a setting (modify), audit if something does or does not exist, deploy something if it does not exist, or deny something. This gives you a broad range of flexibility, from outright blocking the creation of or changes to some types of resources, to having visibility of configuration drift on the compliance dashboard, allowing you to then address each instance manually. For more information on policy effects and the order they are evaluated in, visit:
https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/governance/policy/concepts/effects?WT.mc_id=itopstalk-blog-socuff
So what would you use Azure Policy for?
That's a pretty long list! Most Azure services have inbuilt Azure policies you can turn on today, including policies for the settings inside virtual machines. Here are some examples:
Regulartory compliance:
IRS1075, UK NHS, SWIFT CSP-CSCF, PCI, Canada Federal PBMM, ISO 27001, NIST SP 800-53 R4, FedRAMP controls (and that list is growing!). These policy initiatives and their associated policy definitions are available in Preview inside the Azure portal.
And if there isn't an in-built Azure Policy that meets your needs, you can create your own custom policies or check out the Azure Policy GitHub repo: https://github.com/Azure/azure-policy
So when would you still use Group Policy?
That's a call your organization needs to make based on how you are managing your infrastructure and how far along you are embracing cloud tools. For desktop settings, your device fleet may not be fully managed by Microsoft Endpoint Manager, so Group Policy is still supported in Windows Server 2019.
The hardest approach is to say "this is what we currently do - how do we do it in the Cloud?" Instead, you need to take a look at the capabilities of both Azure Policy and Microsoft Endpoint Manager and say "what's the best approach, using these new capabilities, to meet my organizational requirements for managing my infrastructure now and into the future?". Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes instead of a direct translation, can lead to the best results.
To learn more:
Create and manage Azure Policy: https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/governance/policy/tutorials/create-and-manage?WT.mc_id=itopstalk-bl...
Create a custom policy definition: https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/governance/policy/tutorials/create-custom-policy-definition?WT.mc_i...
Azure Policy modules on Microsoft Learn: https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/browse/?products=azure-policy&WT.mc_id=itopstalk-blog-socuff
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