Sentinel Training Course

Lesson 1 • Sentinel Workspace Architecture

Covers Log Analytics workspace structure, resource groups, and tenant relationships. Connects workspace design decisions to data retention and cost outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Cloud-Native SIEM Fundamentals

Defines SIEM and SOAR concepts and explains how Sentinel differs from on-premises solutions. Establishes the conceptual baseline for all subsequent platform work.

Lesson 3 • Navigating the Sentinel Portal

Guides learners through the Azure portal interface, Sentinel menu structure, and key dashboards. Builds confidence for hands-on tasks in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Connector Troubleshooting and Validation

Provides systematic methods for diagnosing missing data, agent failures, and connector errors. Reinforces reliability practices essential for production deployments.

Lesson 2 • Connecting Microsoft Security Services

Walks through enabling connectors for Microsoft 365 Defender, Entra ID, and Azure services. Demonstrates how native integrations reduce configuration complexity.

Lesson 3 • Syslog and CEF Ingestion

Covers agent-based log forwarding using Syslog and Common Event Format protocols. Connects Linux and network device log sources to the Sentinel workspace.

Lesson 4 • Data Connector Ecosystem Overview

Surveys built-in, partner, and custom connector categories and their ingestion methods. Provides context for selecting the right connector type for each data source.

Lesson 1 • Query Optimization and Best Practices

Addresses query performance, cost reduction, and readability standards for team environments. Prepares learners to write scalable queries used in scheduled analytics rules.

Lesson 2 • Functions, Parsers, and Watchlists

Teaches saved functions, ASIM parsers, and watchlist integration for reusable query logic. Reduces duplication and standardizes detection across the workspace.

Lesson 3 • KQL Syntax and Core Operators

Introduces tabular expression syntax, pipe operators, and basic filtering commands. Provides the grammar foundation required for all subsequent query work.

Lesson 4 • Joins, Unions, and Correlations

Covers join kinds, union statements, and time-window correlations across multiple tables. Enables multi-source threat detection logic essential for analytics rules.

Lesson 1 • Rule Tuning and False Positive Reduction

Covers threshold adjustment, allowlisting, and watchlist-based exclusions to improve signal quality. Directly reduces analyst alert fatigue in production environments.

Lesson 2 • Analytics Rule Types and Use Cases

Compares scheduled, near-real-time, fusion, ML behavioural, and Microsoft Security rule types. Establishes selection criteria for matching rule type to detection requirements.

Lesson 3 • Creating Scheduled Analytics Rules

Walks through the full rule creation wizard including query, entity mapping, and alert grouping. Produces rules that generate actionable, well-structured incidents.

Lesson 4 • Content Hub and Rule Templates

Demonstrates deploying detection content from the Content Hub and customizing rule templates. Accelerates detection coverage using community and vendor-provided logic.

Lesson 1 • Bookmarks and Evidence Collection

Teaches creating query bookmarks to preserve evidence and annotate findings during preliminary inquiries. Supports audit trails and handoff documentation for incident response teams.

Lesson 2 • Incident Preliminary Inquiry Graph

Covers the preliminary inquiry graph for visualizing entity relationships and attack timelines. Connects alert evidence to broader attack patterns for faster root-cause analysis.

Lesson 3 • Incident Closure and Documentation

Covers classification, closure reasons, and post-incident comment standards for quality records. Ensures consistent data for metrics, trend analysis, and compliance reporting.

Lesson 4 • Incident Queue and Triage Workflow

Explains incident severity, status fields, and queue filtering for efficient triage. Establishes a repeatable intake process that scales with alert volume.

Lesson 1 • Logic Apps and Playbook Architecture

Explains Azure Logic Apps structure, connectors, and triggers used to build Sentinel playbooks. Provides the technical foundation for designing multi-step response workflows.

Lesson 2 • Playbook Testing and Governance

Covers run history review, error handling, and access control for production playbooks. Ensures automation reliability and prevents unauthorized or unintended actions.

Lesson 3 • SOAR Concepts and Automation Rules

Introduces SOAR principles and Sentinel automation rules for lightweight, no-code response logic. Establishes the automation layer before introducing full playbook complexity.

Lesson 4 • Building Common Response Playbooks

Guides learners through building playbooks for user disablement, IP blocking, and ticket creation. Translates theoretical SOAR concepts into deployable, tested automation.

Lesson 1 • Threat Intelligence Workbook and Management

Explores the built-in TI workbook for visualizing indicator coverage, staleness, and source health. Supports ongoing TI programme governance and feed quality assessment.

Lesson 2 • Threat Intelligence Fundamentals

Defines indicator types, confidence scoring, and the intelligence lifecycle relevant to SIEM operations. Grounds learners in TI concepts before platform-specific configuration.

Lesson 3 • TI-Based Analytics Rules

Teaches building detection rules that match log data against imported indicators in real time. Directly converts threat intelligence into operational detections within the workspace.

Lesson 1 • Hunt-to-Detection Pipeline

Teaches converting validated hunt queries into scheduled analytics rules and updating playbooks. Closes the loop between proactive hunting and automated, ongoing detection.

Lesson 2 • Notebooks and Advanced Analytics

Introduces Jupyter notebooks integrated with Sentinel for ML-assisted hunting and data science workflows. Enables advanced analysts to apply statistical methods to security data.

Lesson 3 • Sentinel Hunting Queries and Bookmarks

Covers the Hunting blade, built-in query library, and bookmark workflow for capturing findings. Connects hunting activity directly to incident creation and evidence preservation.

Lesson 4 • Threat Hunting Methodology

Introduces hypothesis-driven hunting, the hunting maturity model, and hunt planning frameworks. Establishes a structured approach that distinguishes hunting from reactive preliminary inquiry.