How to Set Up Azure Monitoring in Cloudmon

Connect your Azure account to Cloudmon using a registered Azure AD application. Once connected, Cloudmon auto-discovers your resources and begins collecting metrics in real time.

Overview

Microsoft Azure is a cloud platform that provides hosted services such as virtual machines, storage, databases, and networking over the internet. Organisations use Azure to run workloads without managing physical hardware, scaling resources as needed and paying only for what they use.

This guide walks you through connecting your Azure account to Cloudmon. The setup involves registering an application in the Azure Portal to generate credentials, then entering those credentials into Cloudmon. Once complete, Cloudmon will have read-only access to your Azure environment and will automatically discover your resources.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure the following are in place:

How It Works

Cloudmon connects to your Azure account through a registered Azure Active Directory (AAD) application, also called a service principal. This application is granted read-only access to your Azure subscriptions. Cloudmon uses the application's credentials (Tenant ID, Client ID, and Client Secret Key) to call Azure APIs at regular intervals, pulling metrics, resource lists, and configuration data. Nothing is installed inside your Azure environment, and no Cloudmon probe is required: the connection is made directly from the Cloudmon Controller using the credentials you provide.

Azure monitoring architecture, Cloudmon

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Register an Application in Azure Active Directory

Cloudmon connects to Azure using an Azure AD App Registration (service principal). Follow the Microsoft documentation to register an application and obtain the required credentials: Register an application with the Microsoft identity platform, Microsoft documentation

Once registered, note down the following. You will need these in Step 3:

• Tenant ID: found in Azure Active Directory → Overview
• Client ID: found on the registered app's Overview page
• Client Secret Key: generated under the app's Certificates & Secrets section

⚠️ Important: The Client Secret Key is shown only once. Copy and store it securely before leaving the page.

Step 2: Assign a Reader Role to the Application

Once your app is registered, grant it read-only access to your Azure subscription. Follow the Microsoft documentation to assign the built-in Reader role to your registered application at the subscription level: Assign Azure roles using the Azure portal, Microsoft documentation

Step 3: Add Your Azure Account in Cloudmon

1. Log in to your Cloudmon dashboard
2. Navigate to Cloud → Azure → Add Azure Account
3. The Add Azure panel opens, organized into four sections: Monitor Details, Discovery Settings, Resource Management, and Configuration Details

Monitor Details: account identity and credentials.

Discovery Settings: services, intervals, and notification.

Resource Management: resource lifecycle, alerts, and tag-based filters.

Configuration Details: groups and tags.

4. Click Save
5. Cloudmon will initiate an initial resource discovery scan across all selected services

Step 4: Verify the Connection

After saving, navigate to Cloud → Azure → [Your Account]. If the connection is successful, your Resource Groups, Subscriptions, and selected services will begin populating within a few minutes. If resources do not appear, use the Rediscover button on the account page to trigger a manual scan.

Troubleshooting