Learn how to configure Azure Policy DeployIfNotExists (DINE) without remediation failures. Understand the permission model, managed identities, roleDefinitionIds, scoping, least privilege and testing tips. Follow our checklist to harden your policies.

What policy “mode” controls during evaluation Azure Policy is the built in governance engine for the Azure public cloud. Its evaluation mode tells the engine which resource types to include when checking your rules. Picking the right mode improves accuracy, speeds up evaluation, and avoids confusing results. Microsoft’s guidance is to default to All in most cases, with Indexed used for certain tag and location checks. The mode property on a policy definition controls what res

Regulated businesses often blend automated and manual controls. Automated checks are easy to verify. Manual controls, such as a quarterly access review or a signed incident response procedure, are harder to track. Azure Policy Attestations fill this gap by letting you record evidence, choose a compliance state, and set an expiry so your team reconfirms on schedule. Attestations are first‑class resources that sit alongside your policy assignments and show up in your compliance

Founder TL;DR Agree small engineering guardrails in week one. Set standards early to speed delivery and raise code quality Founder TL;DR - Agree small engineering guardrails in week one. - Fewer surprises near release via consistent checks. - Avoid ~£18k rework per quarter for a six‑person team. - Supports SOC 2 change control with automated, auditable gates. - Next step: book a 45 minute standards sprint. Why early standards feel slow Early standards in week one look slow be

Why many family offices are ill‑prepared The typical family office is lean. It might employ only a handful of staff and rely heavily on a network of external advisers. Technology budgets tend to prioritise portfolio management tools rather than security controls. Many offices still use consumer‑grade e‑mail accounts, outdated operating systems or unpatched software. Without dedicated IT teams, basic cyber hygiene – such as regular updates, encrypted backups and multi‑factor a

This guide explains the differences between governance, risk and compliance, shows where Azure Policy fits and how platforms like Drata and Vanta reduce manual work and audit friction.

For many startup founders — especially in fintech and healthcare — cloud cost optimisation is still viewed as a budgeting exercise. Yet...

Importance of Testing Azure Policy Definitions Testing your Azure Policy definitions before switching from Audit to Deny or Modify is essential. Without a dry run, you can easily miss resources that should be compliant or accidentally block legitimate deployments. A structured testing approach can save time, avoid surprises, and give you confidence that your policy behaves as intended. This guide shows how to validate Azure Policy logic using Azure Resource Graph queries and

T he landscap e Regulated start‑ups must navigate a minefield of rules spanning data protection, anti‑money‑laundering (AML), consumer...

Why compliance matters Why regulated sectors expect proof that their vendors can secure sensitive data. SOC 2 and ISO 27001...

Context AI can accelerate diagnostics, fraud detection and personalised services, yet data privacy regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, FCA)...

Many regulated start-ups sign up for Azure, believing the cloud will automatically save them money. In reality, costs often spiral due to...

Founder frustrations - Hiring a seasoned CTO full‑time early in a company’s life is expensive and rarely justified. - Outsourcing...

AIs are increasingly doing more for you with new agent based features shipped faster than ever. But behind every “smart assistant” or...

You don’t need to learn to code. But you do need to lead tech. If you’re a start-up founder building something technical AI, a SaaS...

When startups think about SOC 2, they often jump straight to logging, firewalls, or backup policies. But if your identity setup is...

If you're building on Azure and selling into regulated industries, you’ve probably heard the question: “Are you SOC 2 compliant or ISO...

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) has become the backbone of scalable cloud deployments. Azure Bicep offers a cleaner syntax and tighter...

Azure Resource Groups (RGs) seem simple. They're a way to group related resources. But for start-ups aiming at SOC 2, GDPR, or HIPAA...

Most startups think defining policies in Azure is enough for compliance. But unless you understand the difference between an exception...