AZ-204 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure Exam

Implement user authentication and authorization

Authentication and authorization are critical for keeping Azure applications safe. Authentication confirms who a user or service is, while authorization decides what they can access. In Azure, most solutions use Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) to handle these tasks. Proper setup helps prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Azure AD supports different authentication flows, such as OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect. You can also enable Managed Identities for Azure resources to avoid storing credentials in code. When an application requests access, Azure AD issues an access token. These tokens are then used to call protected APIs securely.

Role-based access control (RBAC) lets you assign roles to users, groups, or applications. Common built-in roles include Owner, Contributor, and Reader, but you can also create custom roles for special scenarios. RBAC ensures each identity has only the permissions it needs. This least privilege approach reduces potential security risks.

Azure AD B2C offers a way to manage customer identities for web and mobile apps. It integrates with social logins like Facebook or Google, so users can sign in with familiar accounts. You configure user flows or custom policies to tailor the experience. Using B2C helps you provide secure, branded authentication without building it from scratch.

Monitoring your authentication setup is essential for spotting issues early. You can view sign-in logs and audit logs in Azure AD to track user activity. Alerts help you detect suspicious sign-in attempts or policy failures. Regular reviews of these logs keep your security posture strong over time.

Implement secure Azure solutions

Building secure solutions in Azure means protecting data, networks, and applications at multiple layers. You start by defining security policies and end with ongoing monitoring. Azure offers services like Key Vault, Network Security Groups, and Security Center to help you achieve these goals. Each service plays a role in a robust security framework.

Azure Key Vault is a cloud service designed for safely storing secrets such as encryption keys, passwords, and certificates. With Key Vault, you can:

• Store sensitive connection strings and API keys
• Manage encryption keys with controlled access
• Secure certificates without hardcoding them in applications
  This helps keep your secrets out of source code and reduces the chance of leaks.

Network security is managed through tools like Network Security Groups (NSGs) and Azure Firewall. NSGs let you create rules that control inbound and outbound traffic to Azure resources. Azure Firewall adds a centralized layer for filtering and logging network traffic. For protection against large-scale attacks, you can use Azure DDoS Protection to block distributed denial-of-service attempts.

Data encryption is essential to meet compliance and privacy needs. Azure Storage and Azure SQL Database both support transparent data encryption (TDE), which encrypts data at rest. Additionally, you should enable encryption in transit by using SSL/TLS for all communications. Combining encryption with managed keys in Key Vault ensures data stays protected under all conditions.

Azure Security Center provides unified security management and threat protection across your Azure environment. It gives actionable recommendations, runs vulnerability assessments, and detects potential threats. Integrating these findings with Azure Monitor lets you set up alerts and automated responses. This ongoing visibility helps you maintain a strong security posture.

Conclusion

In this section, we explored how to secure Azure applications by implementing user authentication and authorization with Azure AD. We looked at using RBAC, Managed Identities, and Azure AD B2C to control access effectively. Then, we reviewed how to build secure Azure solutions using services like Key Vault, Network Security Groups, and Security Center. Together, these concepts help you protect your data, applications, and network in Microsoft Azure. By applying these practices, you can develop solutions that meet strong security standards and keep resources safe.