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Guide to Stanford Azure Setup

Learn how to set up and manage your Azure subscription

The Microsoft Azure cloud platform has more than 200 products and cloud services designed to help you bring new solutions to life—to solve today’s challenges and create the future. Build, run, and manage applications across multiple clouds, on-premises, and at the edge, with the tools and frameworks of your choice.

If you're new to cloud, check out the resources section to learn more.

Step 1: Compliance

Compliance requirements vary based on the types of data you will be using or storing in your Azure account.

Azure is suitable for Low, Moderate, and High Risk Data, and all Azure service offerings are available for use. There are many native security products and capabilities that help secure your network, infrastructure, endpoints, and data stored in Azure.

Azure is authorized for use with High Risk Data and Protected Health Information (PHI) only when the account complies with Stanford's Minimum Security Standards and Administrative Guide, as well as other regulatory requirements.

If you are using High Risk Data or PHI, you must complete a Data Risk Assessment (DRA) if the datasets are new. For existing projects where data is being moved to Azure, a DRA is not required. Additionally, for all projects, one of the following groups must manage your project:

From within Azure's Compliance Center, you can find HIPAA-compliant cloud services, along with guidance on protecting PHI data in the cloud. You can also review Azure services by FedRAMP or DoD CC SRG.

To help customers deploy a core set of policies for compliant Azure architectures, Microsoft offers Azure Blueprints, which enable repeatable deployment and governance of cloud environments. Examples include:

  1. Azure Blueprint for HIPAA and HITRUST
  2. Azure Blueprint for FedRAMP High
  3. Azure Blueprint for FedRAMP Moderate
  4. Azure Blueprint for NIST SP 800-171 

For monitoring compliance, Azure provides a regulatory compliance dashboard through Azure Defender.

Step 2: Approval

Before placing a request for a new Azure account, you must obtain authorization from a valid approver for each Stanford Project-Task-Award (PTA) you plan to use.

Check valid approvers for the PTA prior to submitting your request. The approver you select will be required to confirm their approval once the request is submitted.

The PTA approver(s) must agree to accept all charges incurred until one of the following occurs:

  • The PTA approver terminates approval
  • The service has been canceled
  • The PTA has been removed from the service

Step 3: Submit

Set up your new Azure account with the Azure subscription creation request form. Upon completion of the form, it will take one to two business days for subscription provisioning. 

Step 1: Access

Once your Azure subscription is created, log in to the Azure Portal. You will be directed to your subscription homepage. To use the portal, JavaScript must be enabled in your browser. We also recommend disabling ad blockers, as they may interfere with some portal features.

If you need to manage Azure resources from a mobile device, try the Azure mobile app. It is available for iOS and Android.

Recommended browsers

Use the most up-to-date browser compatible with your operating system. The following browsers are supported:

  • Microsoft Edge (latest version)
  • Safari (latest version, macOS only)
  • Chrome (latest version)
  • Firefox (latest version)

Step 2: Configuration

Individuals identified on the request form will be granted the Contributor role.

What is Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC)? | Microsoft Docs

Step 3: Build

To begin building in your Azure subscription, explore the full list of services. If you have questions, contact the UIT Hosting Services team.

To get started, consider using these resources:

Common Azure services

Cost

In Azure, you only pay for what you use.

First, determine how you want to run your application in the cloud, then use the Azure Pricing Calculator to estimate costs.

You can view usage information for your Azure subscription in the billing section . These tools can help you:

If you have questions about Azure architecture or cost estimation, contact the UIT Hosting Services team .

Billing

To view previous billing charges to your PTA(s), use the UIT Billing Dashboard. For questions, contact the UIT Hosting Services team.

Account owners, financial contacts, and PTA approvers should regularly monitor cloud account usage. Accounts that have been inactive for at least six months (i.e., "forgotten accounts") are not eligible for refunds.

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