Hi )))))))))))))) lets see how Microsoft turned your SOC into a vintage cloud beach party with Python
Let’s get this straight: Microsoft just dropped a bomb called Sentinel Data Lake, and no — it’s not just another checkbox in Azure that silently bills you into bankruptcy. This is an actual cloud-native security data lake, purpose-built for the paranoid, the overloaded, and the log-hungry.
💣 What the hell is it?
Sentinel Data Lake is:
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A fully-managed, cloud-scale data swamp
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Automatically mirrors your Sentinel analytics-tier data — for free
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Supports raw logs, Defender telemetry, Graph API junk, identity logs, firewall chaos — all of it
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Built for 12 years of retention, because lawsuits have long memory
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Has native support for Python-based analytics. Yeah. In Sentinel. No joke.
🧠 Why do you care?
Because until now, Sentinel + Log Analytics = expensive headache.
Now you get:
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Dirt-cheap storage
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Cost-optimized queries
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The freedom to run
pandas
over your DNS logs like a maniac -
And no more crying over ingestion bills at the end of the month
🧃 Pricing (Public Preview)
Action | Price per GB |
---|---|
Ingestion | $0.05 |
Processing | $0.10 |
Storage | $0.026 |
Query | $0.005 |
Advanced Insights | $0.15 |
Compare that with Log Analytics and weep. Then laugh. Then migrate.
🧰 What’s supported?
Basically everything that makes your SOC sweat:
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Microsoft Defender stack
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Microsoft Sentinel
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Microsoft Entra ID
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Microsoft 365
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Microsoft Resource Graph
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EDRs, firewalls, proxy logs, DNS, email telemetry
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Identity providers like Okta, if you still have trust issues
🕹️ How to enable?
It’s stupidly simple:
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Go to Microsoft Defender Portal
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Find Sentinel Data Lake
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Click “Enable”
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Watch your logs flow into the lake like tequila into a tumbler
You can even create custom tables and store stuff wherever you want. Analytics-tier data gets mirrored automatically, no extra charge.
🐍 Python? In my SIEM?
Damn right.
Run Python-based advanced analytics right on the lake data. Build anomaly detectors. Cross-reference with threat intel.
Automate your own “Copilot” before Redmond does it for you.
🧨 Caveats, gotchas, and glorious chaos
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It’s still in preview, so expect sudden price changes and UI chaos
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It’s code-first — no lazy dashboards for now
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Python is great, but who on your team actually knows more than
import numpy
? -
If someone leaks access — you’ve just dumped your entire organization’s security timeline into the void
🔥 Pro tips from the swamp
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Dump your cheap but important logs first (DNS, proxy, Entra)
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Use analytics-tier only for alerting — Lake is for storage and deep dives
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Setup clear access controls — this isn’t your intern’s playground
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Start versioning your detection logic, because now you actually can
🧠 Microsoft’s angle?
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They’re tired of explaining Log Analytics pricing
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Copilot needs raw telemetry to hallucinate smarter
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Data Lakes are sexy again. Especially with Python.
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And yeah — this keeps you in the ecosystem. Forever.