MSDN Documentation

Network Security

Control access to your Azure SQL Database by configuring network security rules. This includes:

• Firewall Rules: Restrict access to your database server by IP address or IP address range.
• Virtual Network Service Endpoints: Secure your Azure SQL Database by restricting connections from a specified virtual network.
• Private Link: Provide secure access to Azure SQL Database over a Private Endpoint in your virtual network.

Authentication and Authorization

Securely identify and grant permissions to users and applications accessing your database.

• SQL Authentication: Use username and password for authentication.
• Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Authentication: Leverage your Azure AD identity for centralized identity management and single sign-on. This includes support for multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Define granular permissions for users and groups at the database and server levels.

Data Protection

Protect sensitive data both at rest and in transit.

• Transparent Data Encryption (TDE): Encrypts your data files and transaction logs at rest.
• Always Encrypted: Protects sensitive data in the database, such as credit card numbers, by encrypting them on the client side and storing them encrypted.
• Dynamic Data Masking: Restricts sensitive data by obfuscating it to non-privileged users.
• SSL/TLS Encryption: Ensures secure data transfer between your application and Azure SQL Database.

Threat Detection and Monitoring

Proactively identify and respond to potential threats.

• Azure Defender for SQL: Provides advanced threat protection capabilities, including vulnerability assessment and anomaly detection.
• Auditing: Track database events and logs to monitor access and detect suspicious activities.
• Security Center Integration: Leverage Azure Security Center for a unified view of your security posture and recommendations.

Compliance

Azure SQL Database helps you meet various industry and regulatory compliance standards, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, through its built-in security features and certifications.