Add Nodes in Bulk via Azure

Cloudhouse Guardian (Guardian) offers the ability to import nodes in bulk from a number of sources, including AWS, Azure, CSV files, and more. This topic describes how to add nodes in bulk by importing them into your Guardian instance via Azure.

To add Azure nodes in bulk, you can choose to use an Existing integration, or Manually enter credentials for a temporary connection to the Azure source. For more information on each method, see below.

Note: Any existing nodes that are detected are not re-added to your Guardian instance. If any changes have occurred on the node since the last import, the existing node is updated accordingly.

Existing Integration

If you have set up a Guardian integration with Azure previously, you can use the existing credentials to authenticate Guardian’s access.

Dependencies

To import nodes in bulk via Azure, a Linux Connection Manager configured within your Guardian instance is required. For more information, see Linux Connection Manager.

To add nodes in bulk using an existing Azure integration, complete the following steps:

  1. In the Guardian web application, navigate to the Add Nodes tab (Inventory > Add Nodes).

  2. Click the Azure button. The Add Nodes via Azure page is displayed.

  3. Select the Existing integration radio button to display the following options:

    Field

    Description

    Azure Integration credentials drop-down list

    Existing Azure Integration credentials. Select an integration from the drop-down list to use the stored credentials for authentication. For more information on how to setup an integration to Azure, see Azure Integration.

    Check things you want to detect checkboxes

    The option(s) you want to add to Guardian for monitoring. Select the checkbox(es) you want to detect. For example, ‘Activity Log Alerts’. For more information on the Azure services supported by Guardian, see Supported Azure Services.

    Ignore ephemeral nodes checkbox

    Option to ignore ephemeral nodes. If selected, ephemeral nodes are not imported or included in node scans.

    Remove ephemeral nodes checkbox

    Option to remove ephemeral nodes. If selected, ephemeral nodes are removed from the Guardian import list.

  4. Once you have set the correct values for each of the options displayed, click Sync Now to add the Azure nodes to your Guardian instance.

Once complete, any nodes that are detected within Azure are automatically added to the Detected tab (Inventory > Detected). Here, you can choose which nodes you'd like to promote to the Monitored tab (Inventory > Monitored) for regular scanning. For more information, see Detected Nodes.

Manually Enter Credentials

Alternatively, you can manually enter the credentials required to authenticate Guardian’s access to the specified Azure region(s). Then, you can (optionally) create an integration using those details to continuously sync Guardian with your Azure region(s), meaning that you don't have to re-import your node set once they've been updated, as Guardian will automatically detect any new or updated nodes.

Dependencies

To import nodes in bulk via Azure, the following dependencies must be met:

  • Linux Connection Manager – Configured within your Guardian instance. For more information, see Linux Connection Manager.

  • Microsoft Azure Account – Account set up and Client secret key generated. For more information, see Microsoft Azure Account.

  • Service Permissions – Permissions set for the service intended to be scanned. For more information, see Supported Azure Services.

To add nodes in bulk from Azure without using an existing integration, you can manually enter credentials by completing the following steps:

  1. In the Guardian web application, navigate to the Add Nodes tab.

  2. Click the Azure button. The Add Nodes via Azure page is displayed.

  3. Select the Manually enter credentials radio button to display the following options:

    Option

    Description

    Connection Manager group drop-down list

    The Connection Manager group that is responsible for scanning your Azure node(s). Select a Connection Manager group from the drop-down list.

    Subscription ID field

    The unique alphanumeric string that identifies your Azure subscription. For more information on how to source this, see Microsoft Azure Account.

    Microsoft Entra Tenant ID field

    The Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) that represents your Microsoft Entra ID (previously Azure Active Directory) instance. For more information on how to source this, see Microsoft Azure Account.

    Microsoft Entra client ID field

    The unique identifier assigned to your application, registered within the Microsoft Entra ID (previously Azure Active Directory) instance. For more information on how to source this, see Microsoft Azure Account.

    Client Secret field

    The unique identifier that the application uses to prove its identity when requesting a token. For more information on how to source this, see Microsoft Azure Account.

    Create An Integration checkbox

    Option to store the credentials and create an Azure integration that checks for nodes in your Azure environment every two hours. For more information, see Job Schedule (Control > Job Schedule).

    Note: If you choose to Create An Integration, the integration is added to the Integrations tab (Control > Integrations), see Azure Integration for more information. Any nodes that are detected in your environment are then added to the Detected tab for processing. For more information, see Detected Nodes.

    If selected, the Azure integration name and Automatically start monitoring and scanning detected nodes options are displayed.

    Azure integration name field

    The display name for the Azure integration. Once created, the integration is displayed in the Integrations tab.

    Note: This field is only displayed if the Create An Integration checkbox is selected.

    Automatically start monitoring and scanning nodes checkbox

    Option to automatically start monitoring and scanning your nodes once the Azure integration has been created. If selected, the imported nodes are automatically added to the Monitored tab for regular scanning. Here, you can apply policies, create node groups, and schedule regular scans. For more information, see Monitored Nodes.

    If not selected, the nodes are added to the Detected tab for processing. To monitor the detected nodes, you must move them to the Monitored tab. For more information, see Nodes.

    Note: This option is only displayed if the Create An Integration checkbox is selected.

    Check things you want to detect checkboxes

    The option(s) you want to add to Guardian for monitoring. Select the checkbox(es) you want to detect. For example, ‘Activity Log Alerts’. For more information on the Azure services supported by Guardian, see Supported Azure Services.

    Ignore ephemeral nodes checkbox

    Option to ignore ephemeral nodes. If selected, ephemeral nodes are not imported or included in node scans.

    Remove ephemeral nodes checkbox

    Option to remove ephemeral nodes. If selected, ephemeral nodes are removed from the Guardian import list.

  4. Once you have set the correct values for each of the options displayed, click Discover Nodes to add the Azure nodes to your Guardian instance.

Once complete, any nodes that are detected within Azure are automatically added to the Detected tab. Here, you can choose which nodes you'd like to promote to the Monitored tab for regular scanning. For more information, see Detected Nodes.