We want azure to take auto back up of audit logs, sign-in logs by azure and store somwhere where we can access it for history purpose. How to do that?

Question

We want azure to take auto back up of audit logs, sign-in logs by azure and store somwhere where we can access it for history purpose. How to do that?

Bhavin Anghan 45

Hello, We are using Microsoft Entra ID Free for users and authorization and authentication. Currently we are able to see audit logs and sign-in logs in azure portal. By default it provides only last 30 days logs but we want to keep logs for 6 years to comply with HIPAA. We want azure to do auto backup audit logs and sign-in logs everyday and store in azure blob storage automatically for 6 years so we can use it for audit purpose the past logs whenever required. Are there any settings we have to do? Please suggest how we can make this happen.

Rukmini 43,915 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-17T16:42:34.8133333+00:00
Hey Bhavin Anghan, it looks like you're looking to automatically backup audit logs and sign-in logs in Azure to comply with HIPAA regulations. Since you're using Microsoft Entra ID Free, you're limited by the log retention policies that come with that tier. Here’s a breakdown of what you can do:

Key Points:

Current Limitations:

With Microsoft Entra ID Free, audit logs are retained for 7 days and sign-in logs for 7 days as well.

Entra ID P1 and P2 editions extend this to 30 days.

Options for Longer Retention:

Since you need logs for 6 years, upgrading to a P1 or P2 license would not be sufficient on its own. You would still need to set up a logging solution that can store logs over this extended period.

You can archive logs to an Azure Storage Account or use Azure Monitor for this purpose.

Steps to Implement:

Upgrade License (if feasible):

If possible, consider upgrading to Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 to access more features, especially for sign-in logs.

Configure Diagnostic Settings:

Go to the Azure portal and navigate to Microsoft Entra ID.

Under the Monitoring section, find the option to configure Diagnostic settings.

Set it to route logs to an Azure Storage Account, which can retain them for as long as your storage policy allows.

Utilize Storage Lifecycle Management:

To manage these logs efficiently in your storage account, look into Azure Storage Lifecycle Management. This will help automate the tiering of logs based on age and help you manage storage costs.

Regular Backups:

Ensure that the logs are being routed to the Storage Account daily so that you have regular backups for auditing purposes.

Review the settings periodically to ensure they’re correct and that the data is being logged as expected.

Additional Resources:

Download logs to store locally

Archive logs to a storage account

Configure diagnostic settings for log storage

Azure Storage Lifecycle Management

Follow-Up Questions:

Are you open to upgrading your Microsoft Entra ID subscription to a P1 or P2 version?

Do you currently have an Azure Storage Account set up for logging?

Have you implemented any automated processes for backing up logs previously?

Can you clarify if you need data access methods for log retrieval, such as APIs or other tools?

Hope this helps! If you have further questions, feel free to ask!
Bhavin Anghan 45 Reputation points

2025-12-20T09:04:59.96+00:00

Rukmini Is it possible to export logs with Microsoft Entra ID FREE? Is it mandatory to upgrade to P1 or P2? Please suggest.

Do you have any other alternatives which does not requires P1 or P2 license?

Our requirement: We wants to take backup daily of logs. We will keep those logs backup with us in azure blob storage for 6 years. Whenever needed we should be able to access it from taken backup. We should not loose any logs with Microsoft Entra ID Free.