Setting up an Azure instance

Anyone can set up their own Microsoft Azure account. Many Azure services are free of charge. I strongly recommend deploying your own Azure instance to practice vulnerability scanning and pentesting in Azure before you do paid work for a client so that you can practice your skills. And chances are that your Azure test deployment is simpler than the Azure network the organization you work for operates!

Thanks to the magic of the cloud and the fact that the computer processing, data storage, and bandwidth are on Microsoft’s infrastructure, you don’t need to have a powerful workstation computer to try the exercises I will demonstrate in this chapter. A typical desktop or laptop PC with Windows, macOS, or Linux, good web functionality, and a modern web browser will do.

First, open your web browser and go to Microsoft’s guide to free Azure services (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-ca/free). Here are most of the Azure services that are...