Incident Response Orchestration with Azure Logic Apps

Question

Pulumi · Accepted Answer

To orchestrate an incident response using Azure Logic Apps, we will create a workflow that can be triggered by an alert or an external event. Azure Logic Apps provide a way to automate processes as a series of steps known as a workflow. With Logic Apps, we can use connectors to integrate with various services and trigger actions in response to events, such as creating alerts, sending notifications, or escalating issues.

Here is a high-level breakdown of what we are going to achieve with Pulumi in Python:

1. Create a resource group where all our resources will live.
2. Define a Logic App workflow.
3. Integrate the workflow with necessary Azure services by using connectors (like Azure Monitor or Service Bus) which can listen for specific events or metrics thresholds.
4. Set up actions that the workflow will take, such as sending notifications, triggering other processes, or calling APIs to handle incidents.

For example, assume we want to create a workflow that is triggered whenever a metric alert is raised, and that sends an email notification. The components we would need include:

- `azure-native.insights.MetricAlert` to define the metric alert criteria.
- `azure-native.logic.Workflow` to set up the logic app workflow.
- Connectors/actions, such as Office 365 Outlook connector to send an email when the alert is triggered.

The Pulumi program in Python looks like this:

```python
import pulumi
import pulumi_azure_native as azure_native  # Importing azure-native Pulumi provider

# Create an Azure Resource Group
resource_group = azure_native.resources.ResourceGroup('rg')

# Define a metric alert for a hypothetical resource
metric_alert = azure_native.insights.MetricAlert(
    'metricAlert',
    resource_group_name=resource_group.name,
    description="Alert when metric reaches threshold",
    severity=2,
    enabled=True,
    scopes=[
        # This should be the ID of the resource you want to monitor, for example a virtual machine or a storage account.
        # Replace with your actual resource ID:
        '/subscriptions/{subscription_id}/resourceGroups/{resource_group}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/{vm_name}'
    ],
    window_size="PT5M",  # The period of time (in ISO 8601 duration format) that is used to monitor alert activity based on the threshold.
    criteria=azure_native.insights.MetricAlertCriteriaArgs(
        metric_name="CPU Percentage",
        metric_namespace="Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines",
        time_aggregation="Average",
        operator="GreaterThan",
        threshold=80
    ),
    evaluation_frequency="PT1M",  # Frequency that the alert condition should be evaluated.
    actions=[
        # Placeholder for action groups. You'll need to define action groups if you want to perform actions like sending an email or SMS.
        # An action group is a collection of notification preferences defined by the user.
    ],
)

# Create an Azure Logic App workflow
workflow = azure_native.logic.Workflow(
    'incidentResponseWorkflow',
    resource_group_name=resource_group.name,
    location=resource_group.location,
    definition={
        # Logic Apps workflow definitions are JSON objects that define the actual workflow using the Workflow Definition Language.
        # This logic app listens for the metric alert and then uses an action like sending an email to respond to the incident.
        # Replace "Your Logic App Definition JSON" with your actual workflow definition:
        "Your Logic App Definition JSON"
    },
)

# Outputs to use after deployment. For example, we're exporting the Logic App Workflow ID.
pulumi.export('workflowId', workflow.id)
```

In this program, we start by importing the Pulumi Azure Native provider, which allows us to interact with Azure resources within a Pulumi program. Then we create a new resource group, a metric alert to monitor a resource, and an Azure Logic App workflow.

The workflow's definition is typically a JSON object that outlines the steps the workflow should take when it is triggered. In a real-world scenario, you would replace `"Your Logic App Definition JSON"` with the actual workflow definition JSON you want to use. This JSON object is created using the Azure Logic Apps Designer, which gives you a visual interface to add triggers and actions.

Please replace placeholders with your actual criteria, such as the resource ID and the condition for the metric alert, the action groups you want to trigger, and the logic app definition JSON.

After deploying this Pulumi program using the Pulumi CLI, you will have a foundational incident response workflow that you can then iterate and expand upon to fit your specific needs.