Identity Services on Azure

Azure Identity services provide robust solutions for managing user access, authentication, and authorization across your cloud resources. Securely controlling who can access what is fundamental to any cloud deployment. This documentation explores the core services and concepts related to identity management on Azure.

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)

Azure Active Directory is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management service. It allows you to manage users, groups, and applications, and enforce access policies for resources both in Azure and on-premises.

  • User Management: Create, manage, and authenticate users.
  • Application Integration: Securely integrate cloud and on-premises applications.
  • Single Sign-On (SSO): Enable users to sign in once and access multiple applications.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enhance security with an additional layer of verification.
  • Conditional Access: Define policies to control access based on conditions like location, device, and application.

For more detailed information, visit the Azure Active Directory Documentation.

Managed Identities for Azure Resources

Managed identities provide an identity for Azure resources (like Virtual Machines, App Services, Functions) in Azure Active Directory. This allows you to authenticate to any service that supports Azure AD authentication, without needing to manage credentials in your code.

Key Benefit: Eliminates the need to store and manage secrets like connection strings or API keys for your applications.
  • System-assigned managed identity: Tied directly to an Azure resource.
  • User-assigned managed identity: Can be created independently and assigned to multiple Azure resources.

Learn more about Managed Identities.

Azure Key Vault

Azure Key Vault is a cloud service for securely storing and accessing secrets, such as API keys, passwords, certificates, and cryptographic keys. It enables you to centralize secret management, reducing the risk of secrets being exposed in code or configuration files.

  • Secret Management: Store and manage sensitive information securely.
  • Key Management: Create and control encryption keys.
  • Certificate Management: Provision, manage, and deploy SSL/TLS certificates.

Explore Azure Key Vault capabilities.

Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Azure RBAC enables fine-grained access management of Azure resources. You can grant users, groups, and service principals the permissions they need to perform specific tasks on specific resources.

RBAC works by providing these access levels:

  • Owner: Full access to all resources.
  • Contributor: Can create and manage all types of Azure resources but cannot grant access to others.
  • Reader: Can view all Azure resources but cannot make any changes.
  • Custom Roles: Define your own roles with specific permissions.

Understand how to manage access with Azure RBAC.

Identity Best Practices

Implementing strong identity management practices is crucial for securing your Azure environment. Here are some key recommendations:

  • Always use Azure AD for managing users and access.
  • Utilize Managed Identities for Azure resources to avoid credential management.
  • Store sensitive secrets in Azure Key Vault and grant minimal necessary permissions.
  • Implement the principle of least privilege using Azure RBAC.
  • Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all users, especially administrators.
  • Regularly review access policies and permissions.

Related Services & Resources