From a compliance standpoint, it's important to keep backups of the telemetry data stored in Azure Sentinel and Log Analytics workspace. Backups serve as a secure and unchangeable record of the data, which helps meet regulatory and auditing requirements. Many industries and regulatory frameworks have specific requirements for data retention and backup. By maintaining backups of telemetry data, you can meet these compliance and audit requirements. Backups provide a verifiable and tamper-proof source of data that can be used for compliance reporting, audits, and legal purposes. And its always encouraged to use the economical options for maintaining the long term backup of the telemetry. Are you currently utilizing the "Azure Monitor Logs Data Export" feature to back up Log Analytics workspace data or the telemetry collected using the Microsoft Sentinel in to the Azure Storage account? If so, there's an important update you should be aware of -
“Billing for Azure Monitor Logs Data Export is starting on 1 August 2023 You're receiving this email because you currently use the Data Export feature of Azure Monitor Logs with one or more Log Analytics workspaces in this subscription. Billing for Azure Monitor Logs Data Export is starting 1 August 2023. Data Export prices are available on the Azure Monitor pricing page.” |
This means it's crucial to explore more cost-effective and efficient ways to manage your log data. One such solution is leveraging the power of "Configure data retention and archive policies in Azure Monitor Logs."
In this blog post, we will delve into the benefits of implementing data retention and archival policies in Azure Monitor Logs.
Saving Costs: Archiving log data in Azure Log Analytics is a cheaper option than storing it in a storage account. It offers long-term retention at reduced prices, helping you optimize storage costs. You can store log data for extended periods without spending too much.
Easy Integration: The archival facility in Azure Log Analytics keeps your log data within the Azure ecosystem. This integration allows for streamlined management and access to logs alongside other Azure services and tools. You can monitor, analyze, and respond to incidents more efficiently.
Query and Analytics: Even when logs are archived, you can still run queries and perform analysis. Log Analytics provides a powerful query language for searching and analyzing logs. This flexibility is useful for historical analysis, identifying trends, and meeting compliance requirements. You can gain valuable insights from archived data.
Centralized Management: The archival facility in Azure Log Analytics simplifies managing log data storage across multiple workspaces or sources. You can easily configure log retention policies and archival settings in one place. This ensures consistency and reduces the administrative burden. Streamlining log retention processes allows you to focus on extracting meaningful information from your logs.
To set the retention and archive duration for a table in the Azure portal, follow these steps:
Go to the Log Analytics workspaces menu and click on Tables. This will display a list of all the tables in your workspace.
Find the table you want to configure and click on the context menu. Then select "Manage table."
In the table configuration screen, locate the section called "Data retention settings." Here, you can adjust the retention and archive duration according to your needs.
For detailed step-by-step instructions, you can refer to the article: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/logs/data-retention-archive?tabs=portal-1%2Cportal-2#set-retention-and-archive-policy-by-table
In summary, archiving log data in Azure Log Analytics helps you save costs, integrates seamlessly with Azure services, allows query and analysis on archived data, and offers centralized management for efficient log data storage. As Azure Monitor Logs Data Export becomes a billable service, it's important to optimize your log data management. By implementing data retention and archive policies in Azure Monitor Logs, you can save costs, seamlessly integrate with other Azure services, analyze archived data, and simplify log management. Take advantage of these features to enhance your monitoring and analysis workflows without unnecessary complexities.
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