GS-4 Define and implement network security strategy
Define and implement a network security strategy with documented guidance, policy and standards covering network design, segmentation, perimeter controls and monitoring.
Source: Azure Security Benchmark v3 (renamed Microsoft cloud security benchmark), GS-4. The statement above is our statement of the clause, read from the published text and cited so you can check it against the official text, not the instrument verbatim. Open Azure Security Benchmark v3 (renamed Microsoft cloud security benchmark) in the compliance library.
These are the artefacts auditors commonly ask for on this requirement, our guidance rather than text from the standard. Your assessor decides what is sufficient in your context, and asks for samples across the period when a report covers one.
system holds itEvidence a system already holds
none for this control
periodic reviewEvidence produced at each review
- Periodic review record · Cloud console / configuration management
governing documentDocuments that govern the control
- Network security strategy document and its approval · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Reference network designs derived from it · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Policy and standards covering segmentation and perimeter controls · Policy repository / GRC workspace
First move
Common gaps auditors find
- network patterns decided per workload with no reference design
- strategy exists but no standard makes it enforceable
- no review after major architecture change
Do this for your whole sheet
Paste the rows you run your controls from and get this mapping for every control at once, with the periodic-review ones flagged and a first move per row. No account for the first run.
Build my evidence sheetGS-3 Define and implement data protection strategy · GS-5 Define and implement security posture management strategy