Which service provides benchmark recommendations and guidance for protecting Azure services?

The service that provides benchmark recommendations and guidance for protecting Azure services is the security baselines for Azure. This service offers a framework that outlines security best practices tailored for Azure environments, helping organizations to assess and enhance their security posture.

Security baselines typically include guidance on configuring security controls based on industry standards and compliance requirements. They assist organizations in understanding the security features available in Azure and how to implement them effectively to mitigate risks.

In contrast, other services like Azure Application Insights focus on monitoring application performance and availability, Azure Network Watcher is primarily used for network performance and diagnostics, and Log Analytics workspaces enable collection and analysis of log data but do not specifically provide security benchmarking. Hence, security baselines are essential for organizations looking to ensure their Azure services are secure and aligned with best practices.