Overview

Updated in May 2025. This course now features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. Master the art of automating, deploying, and optimizing Microsoft Sentinel in this comprehensive, hands-on course tailored for Azure security professionals. You’ll gain deep expertise in leveraging Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as ARM templates, Bicep, Terraform, and scripting to streamline and secure your Sentinel deployments. Learn how to integrate Sentinel seamlessly into your CI/CD workflows with Azure DevOps and GitHub, unlocking powerful automation and version control capabilities. The course begins by teaching you how to automate Sentinel deployment using code and popular IaC tools. Through real-world demos, you’ll set up repositories, integrate DevOps pipelines, and understand the best practices for secure and scalable implementations. You'll also tackle advanced infrastructure deployment topics, learning how to optimize artifact management and troubleshoot pipeline issues. Next, you’ll dive deep into mastering ARM templates—learning to generate, structure, and customize them for various Sentinel components like analytics rules, workbooks, and playbooks. Finally, the course wraps up with strategies for cost optimization, showing you how to manage data connectors, optimize logging, and utilize tools like Azure Data Explorer to reduce security operations costs without compromising effectiveness. This course is ideal for cloud security engineers, Azure architects, SOC analysts, and IT professionals responsible for cloud security automation and monitoring. To get the most out of this advanced course, learners should have a foundational understanding of Microsoft Azure, familiarity with basic scripting or automation tools, and experience in cloud or security operations.

Syllabus

Automate Microsoft Sentinel Integration with Code

In this module, we will explore automation tools and deployment strategies for Microsoft Sentinel, guiding you through the integration of Azure DevOps, GitHub, and Infrastructure as Code. You'll gain hands-on experience with ARM, Bicep, Terraform, and PowerShell to streamline and automate your Sentinel setup. Through demos and practical exercises, we will guide you through efficient, scalable deployment practices using code.

Advanced Infrastructure as Code with Microsoft Sentinel

In this module, we will dive deeper into advanced Infrastructure as Code (IaC) strategies for Microsoft Sentinel, focusing on repository management, deployment of analytics rules, and error fixing within pipelines. By the end, you will be able to ensure seamless, secure, and optimized Sentinel configurations while maintaining control over deployments with GitHub and ARM templates.

Mastering ARM Templates

In this module, we will cover everything you need to know about ARM templates, including their structure, formatting, and how to customize them for Microsoft Sentinel resources. Through hands-on demos, we will show you how to generate and deploy templates for key components such as analytics rules and playbooks, while utilizing the ARM Template Resource Hub for streamlined management.

Lower Cost in Azure for Security Operations

In this module, we will focus on reducing costs while maintaining the security capabilities of Microsoft Sentinel. We will guide you through best practices for pricing optimization, data connector management, and log setup, along with strategies for tracking and analyzing costs. You will also learn how to maximize data collection efficiency, ensuring a balance between performance and budget.