Microsoft Sentinel Moves to Defender Portal: What Security Teams Need to Know

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Introduction

Microsoft is consolidating its security tools by migrating Microsoft Sentinel—its cloud-native SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) solution—into the Microsoft Defender portal. This integration aims to streamline threat detection, investigation, and response (TDIR) workflows, eliminating the need to switch between multiple interfaces. The transition is set to complete by July 2026, with new Sentinel deployments already defaulting to the Defender portal.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand the benefits of integrating Sentinel into the Defender portal.
  • Learn key commands and steps to prepare for the migration.
  • Explore how this shift impacts SOC workflows and security automation.

You Should Know

1. Accessing Sentinel in the Defender Portal

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Navigate to Microsoft Defender Portal.
  2. Sign in with an account that has Security Admin or Global Admin permissions.

3. Under More resources, select Microsoft Sentinel.

Why This Matters:

This consolidation reduces context-switching for SOC teams, enabling faster incident triage. Defender’s unified interface also simplifies role-based access control (RBAC) management.

2. Migrating Sentinel Workspaces

Verified Command (Azure CLI):

az security sentinel workspace migrate --defender-portal --resource-group <RG_NAME> --workspace-name <SENTINEL_NAME>

Steps:

  1. Ensure you have Contributor permissions on the Sentinel workspace.

2. Run the above command to initiate migration.

3. Validate migration via:

az security sentinel workspace show --resource-group <RG_NAME> --workspace-name <SENTINEL_NAME>

Note: Legacy Azure portal access will remain until July 2026, but new features will debut in Defender first.

3. Automating Incident Sync with Defender XDR

KQL Query for Sentinel Alert Rules:

SecurityAlert
| where ProviderName == "Microsoft Defender for Endpoint"
| project TimeGenerated, AlertName, CompromisedEntity

Use Case:

This query surfaces Defender-generated alerts in Sentinel, ensuring unified monitoring. Adjust analytics rules to prioritize cross-tool alerts.

4. Hardening Defender Portal API Access

PowerShell Command to Restrict API Permissions:

Set-MgSecurityApiPermission -ApplicationId <APP_ID> -Permissions "SecurityEvents.ReadWrite" -GrantAdminConsent $false

Why This Matters:

Limiting API scopes reduces attack surfaces. Audit existing integrations using: 

Get-MgSecurityApiPermission | Format-List

5. Backup Sentinel Data Pre-Migration

Azure CLI Command:

az monitor log-analytics workspace export --resource-group <RG_NAME> --workspace-name <LA_NAME> --destination <STORAGE_ACCOUNT_ID>

Best Practice:

Export logs to Azure Storage before migration to avoid data loss. Use SAS tokens for secure access: 

az storage container generate-sas --account-name <STORAGE_NAME> --name <CONTAINER> --permissions rwdl --expiry 2026-01-01

6. Monitoring Migration Progress

Sentinel Log Query:

OperationLogs
| where OperationName == "Microsoft.Security/sentinel/workspaces/migrate"
| project Status, Caller, TimeGenerated

Action:

Set alerts for failed migrations using Sentinel’s Scheduled Analytics Rules.

7. Post-Migration Threat Hunting

Defender Advanced Hunting Query:

DeviceEvents
| where ActionType == "SuspiciousScriptExecuted"
| join kind=inner (AlertInfo) on $left.AlertId == $right.AlertId

Pro Tip:

Leverage Defender’s enriched telemetry to refine Sentinel hunting queries.

What Undercode Say

  • Key Takeaway 1: The merger reduces tool fragmentation but requires retraining for teams accustomed to the Azure portal.
  • Key Takeaway 2: API-driven automation (e.g., Logic Apps) may need updates post-migration due to endpoint changes.

Analysis:

Microsoft’s move signals a broader industry shift toward unified security platforms. While the transition is designed to be seamless, organizations must audit custom scripts, third-party integrations, and RBAC policies. The 2026 deadline allows time to test workflows, but early adoption ensures access to new features like Defender’s AI-driven incident summarization. For SOCs, this could mean faster mean-time-to-response (MTTR), but only if migration pitfalls (e.g., data schema changes) are addressed proactively.

Prediction

By 2027, 80% of enterprise SOCs will consolidate tools into single-vendor platforms, driven by AI-powered TDIR demands. Microsoft’s bet on Defender positions it as a leader, but competitors (e.g., Splunk, CrowdStrike) will respond with deeper cloud integrations.

For more details, refer to Microsoft’s official announcement.

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Activity 7346555869045633026 – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
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