Secure Azure Analysis Services

This document outlines the security best practices and features available for securing your Azure Analysis Services instances. Protecting your data is paramount, and Azure Analysis Services provides a robust set of tools and configurations to ensure your sensitive information remains confidential and protected.

Note: Security is a shared responsibility. While Azure provides the infrastructure security, you are responsible for securing your data, access controls, and network configurations.

Authentication and Authorization

Azure Analysis Services leverages Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) for authentication, enabling secure access to your models.

Authentication Methods

Azure Active Directory Authentication: Recommended for all scenarios. Allows users and applications to authenticate using their Azure AD credentials.
Service Principal Authentication: Use for programmatic access, such as automated data refreshes or application integrations.

Authorization Roles

Within Azure Analysis Services, you can define roles to control access to your tabular models. These roles are assigned to Azure AD users or groups.

Administrator: Full control over the Analysis Services server and all models.
Read: Allows users to read data from models.
ReadWrite: Allows users to read and write data, including modifying model metadata (if permissions are granted).
Custom Roles: Define granular permissions for specific operations within models.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Azure RBAC is used at the Azure resource level to manage permissions for administering the Azure Analysis Services server itself. This includes actions like starting, stopping, and deleting the server.

Data Encryption

Your data is protected both at rest and in transit.

Encryption at Rest

Data stored in Azure Analysis Services is automatically encrypted using Azure Storage encryption. This ensures that your data is protected even if the underlying storage is compromised.

Encryption in Transit

All connections to Azure Analysis Services use Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt data transmitted between clients and the server. Ensure your client applications are configured to use TLS 1.2 or later.

Network Security

Control how your Analysis Services instance is accessed over the network.

Firewall Rules

Configure firewall rules to restrict access to your Analysis Services server to specific IP addresses or IP ranges. This helps prevent unauthorized access from external networks.

Private Endpoints

Use Azure Private Link to establish a private endpoint for your Analysis Services server. This allows you to access your server securely over a private IP address within your virtual network, without exposing it to the public internet.

Auditing and Monitoring

Keep track of activities and identify potential security threats.

Audit Logs

Enable auditing to capture detailed logs of events that occur on your Azure Analysis Services server. These logs can include connection attempts, query executions, and administrative actions. You can send these logs to Azure Storage, Azure Event Hubs, or Azure Log Analytics for analysis.

Azure Monitor

Integrate with Azure Monitor to collect, analyze, and act on telemetry from your Azure Analysis Services environment. Monitor performance metrics, set up alerts for suspicious activities, and gain insights into your server's health and security posture.

Key Security Considerations

Regularly review and update user permissions and role assignments.
Implement a strong password policy for Azure AD users.
Use service principals with least-privilege permissions for automated tasks.
Configure firewall rules and private endpoints for enhanced network security.
Enable and regularly review audit logs.
Keep your client applications updated to support the latest security protocols (TLS 1.2+).

Threat Protection

Azure Defender for SQL

While Azure Defender for SQL is primarily designed for SQL databases, some of its capabilities for detecting anomalous database activities and vulnerabilities can be indirectly beneficial for understanding patterns that might impact Analysis Services. For specific threat protection tailored to Analysis Services, rely on robust auditing, logging, and Azure Monitor alerts.

Conclusion

By implementing the security measures outlined in this document, you can significantly enhance the security posture of your Azure Analysis Services deployments. Always prioritize a defense-in-depth strategy, combining authentication, authorization, encryption, network security, and continuous monitoring.