Review Cloud App Policies and Make Any Necessary Updates (Monthly)
Implementation Effort: Low — This is a recurring administrative task where IT/SecOps reviews existing cloud app policies and adjusts them as needed.
User Impact: Low — All activity occurs within administrative teams; end users do not need to be notified or take action.
Overview
Cloud app policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps help organizations control how cloud applications are accessed, governed, and monitored. Policies can identify risky behavior, enforce information protection, manage OAuth app permissions, and detect threats across sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud services. Reviewing these policies monthly ensures they stay aligned with organizational requirements, emerging threats, and changes in cloud app usage.
If this review is not performed, outdated or misaligned policies may fail to block risky apps, detect malicious behavior, or enforce compliance, increasing exposure to data leakage or cloud-based attacks.
This activity supports the Verify Explicitly Zero Trust principle by ensuring continuous monitoring and validation of cloud application behavior and configurations.
Where to view and manage policies
You can review and update cloud app policies in the Microsoft Defender portal:
- Microsoft Defender portal → Cloud Apps → Policies
Provides access to policy templates, custom policy creation, and policy configuration.
Control cloud apps with policies - Cloud Apps → App Governance → App Policies
Used to manage OAuth app policies for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, and more.
Manage app policies - Monthly Operations Guide
Microsoft recommends reviewing cloud app policies as part of monthly operational activities.
Monthly operational guide