Recommend a solution for authorizing access to Azure resources
5 minutes
5 Questions
When designing a solution for authorizing access to Azure resources, Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) serves as the foundational mechanism. RBAC enables fine-grained access management by assigning roles to users, groups, service principals, or managed identities at various scopes including ma…When designing a solution for authorizing access to Azure resources, Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) serves as the foundational mechanism. RBAC enables fine-grained access management by assigning roles to users, groups, service principals, or managed identities at various scopes including management group, subscription, resource group, or individual resource levels.<br><br>For a comprehensive authorization solution, I recommend implementing a layered approach. First, utilize Azure RBAC with built-in roles such as Owner, Contributor, and Reader where possible. When built-in roles lack the precision required, create custom roles that define specific permissions tailored to organizational needs.<br><br>Integrate Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) as the identity provider to centralize authentication. Implement Conditional Access policies to enforce additional security requirements based on user location, device state, or risk level before granting access to resources.<br><br>For applications and services requiring programmatic access, leverage Managed Identities to eliminate credential management overhead. System-assigned managed identities work well for single-resource scenarios, while user-assigned managed identities suit multi-resource deployments requiring shared identity.<br><br>Implement Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for just-in-time access to critical resources. PIM requires users to activate elevated roles for limited time periods, reducing the attack surface from standing privileged access.<br><br>For data plane authorization, combine RBAC with resource-specific access controls. Azure Key Vault uses access policies or RBAC, Azure Storage supports shared access signatures and RBAC, and Azure SQL Database offers database-level permissions alongside Azure AD authentication.<br><br>Apply the principle of least privilege throughout your design, granting only necessary permissions. Use Azure Policy to enforce organizational standards and assess compliance. Regular access reviews through Azure AD help maintain appropriate access levels over time.<br><br>Finally, enable diagnostic logging and Azure Monitor integration to track authorization decisions and detect anomalous access patterns for security monitoring purposes.
Recommend a Solution for Authorizing Access to Azure Resources
Why This Topic Is Important
Authorization in Azure is fundamental to securing cloud resources and ensuring that users, applications, and services have appropriate access levels. As an Azure Solutions Architect, you must design solutions that balance security with operational efficiency. Improper authorization can lead to data breaches, compliance violations, and operational disruptions. The AZ-305 exam tests your ability to recommend the right authorization approach for various scenarios.
What Is Azure Authorization?
Azure authorization determines what actions an authenticated identity can perform on Azure resources. Unlike authentication (which verifies identity), authorization controls access permissions. Azure provides several authorization mechanisms:
• Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) - Manages access to Azure resources based on roles assigned to users, groups, or service principals • Azure Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) - Extends RBAC with conditions based on resource attributes • Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) - Provides just-in-time privileged access • Managed Identities - Enables Azure services to authenticate to other services • Shared Access Signatures (SAS) - Provides delegated access to storage resources
How Azure Authorization Works
Azure RBAC operates at multiple scopes: Management Group, Subscription, Resource Group, and Resource level. Permissions are inherited from parent to child scopes. Key concepts include:
• Security Principal - User, group, service principal, or managed identity • Role Definition - Collection of permissions (built-in or custom) • Scope - The boundary where access applies • Role Assignment - Attaches a role definition to a security principal at a scope
Built-in Roles include Owner, Contributor, Reader, and User Access Administrator. Custom roles can be created when built-in roles do not meet requirements.
Key Authorization Solutions by Scenario
• Administrative access to Azure resources - Use Azure RBAC with PIM for elevated privileges • Application access to Azure services - Use Managed Identities (system-assigned or user-assigned) • Cross-tenant access - Use Azure Lighthouse or B2B collaboration • Temporary storage access - Use SAS tokens with appropriate expiration • Conditional access requirements - Use ABAC conditions on role assignments
Best Practices for Authorization Design
• Apply the principle of least privilege - grant minimum required permissions • Use groups for role assignments rather than individual users • Implement PIM for privileged roles to reduce standing access • Prefer managed identities over service principals with secrets • Use deny assignments to block specific actions when needed • Assign roles at the highest appropriate scope to reduce management overhead
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Authorization Solutions
• Identify the scenario type first - Determine if the question involves user access, application access, or administrative access
• Look for keywords - Terms like 'least privilege,' 'just-in-time,' 'temporary access,' or 'no credentials in code' point to specific solutions (RBAC, PIM, SAS, Managed Identities respectively)
• Managed Identities vs Service Principals - When applications need to access Azure resources, managed identities are preferred because they eliminate credential management
• PIM is for privileged scenarios - If the question mentions reducing standing access, time-bound access, or approval workflows, PIM is likely the answer
• ABAC for attribute conditions - When access depends on resource tags or other attributes, ABAC conditions are the solution
• Scope matters - Questions may test whether you understand inheritance; permissions at subscription level apply to all resource groups and resources within
• Custom roles for specific needs - If built-in roles provide too many or too few permissions, custom roles are appropriate
• Azure Lighthouse for multi-tenant - For managed service provider scenarios managing customer resources, Azure Lighthouse is the recommended approach
• Eliminate overly permissive options - Answers suggesting Owner role when Contributor suffices, or broad scopes when narrow scopes work, are usually incorrect