Cloud Security For Windows Azure

Who should Read it?

If you are thinking to use Windows Cloud Services and have doubts regarding your data security, privacy, threats, network security, etc. then this article is for you. And if not, then I’ll say just read it to understand cloud security features, as it will take nothing and give you some knowledge.

So let’s take a look at some important points that I am going to discuss in it:

• Identity and Access
• Network Security
• Data Privacy
• Data Protection
• Threat Defence

Identity and Access

If you are going to use Microsoft Azure cloud services then you don’t need to think much about threats related to Identity and Access because Azure provides you enterprise level cloud identity governance that enables you to manage access for your users.

This graphic explains it all.



Let’s take a quick look at the important points of this feature:

• Sync existing identities.
• Single Sign in to Azure and Office 365 and entire world of other cloud based services and application.
• It monitors access patterns in order to identify and lessen the potential cloud threats.
• It helps in preventing Unauthorized access by using its Advance Azure Multi Factor Authentication System.
• It also empowers users with self service Identity Management Capabilities.

Network Security

Now coming to this next point. Network Security is another most important thing whenever we talk about cloud or other services. When you will be using Azure services your Azure Virtual Machine and data both are isolated from these factors:

- Undesirable Traffic
- Users
- Potential Threat etc.

But in case you still want a connection with them you can do that easily but through a different approach without creating any harm to your security. This approach is via – “Encrypted or Private Connections”.

This graphic explains it all.



Let’s take a quick look at the bullets of this feature:

• Benefit from FIREWALLED and PARTITIONED NETWORKS to help protect against the unwanted traffic from the Internet.
  
  
• You can always manage your Virtual Machine with Encrypted Remote Desktop and Windows Powershell Sessions.
  
  
• Securely connect to your on premises data center or a single commuter using a Azure Virtual Network.
  
  
• Keep your traffic off the Internet by using Azure Express Route services. (It is like a private fiber that directly links you to Azure.).

Data Privacy

We are switching and increasing the use of Cloud and related services for somehow dealing worth data in an easy and a better fashion, but what if the reason that making you use cloud tends you to some critical damage?

I’ll say- “Don’t Worry!”

Because if you are going to use Azure cloud Services you don’t need to think about it, and I mean it. Microsoft is committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of your data. You have always the power to choose where your data will reside and who gonna see and access it. You can always do that as per your choice.

This graphic explains it all.



Let’s take a quick look at the bullets of this feature:

• It specifies the Geographic location of areas where your data is.
  
  
• You can also are replica of that data in that Geographic location for that Redundancy, an extra step to make your data secure, I would say.
  
  
• Microsoft also provides additional contractual commitments about the transfer of the data addressing the E.U. Data Protection Directive.
  
  
• It also limits Microsoft to access and use your data (What else you wish for).
  
  
• Microsoft never uses it’s customer data for Advertising purposes under certain policies of data privacy.

Data Protection

Data Privacy and Data Protection are important measures when it comes to your Data and trust me Microsoft understand this, that’s why Microsoft is highly concerned about the Azure Data protection and makes it a priority when it comes to services.

Several technical safeguards and measure like:

- Encryption
- Operational Processes
- Data Protection Policies

Are used for making your data only yours.


Let’s take a quick look at the bullets of this feature:

• Microsoft uses Encryption in order to help secure data in transit data centers and you, the customer.
  
  
• You always have several options to customize your Encryption Standard.
  
  
• In order to customize encryption Microsoft provides lots of approaches- you can control the approaches and the related keys.
  
  
• In case you will leave Azure or delete your data, Microsoft follows strict standards and rules that call for overwriting storage resources before the reuse.

Threat Defense

Everyday we heard about some new emerging threats and some old threats too and how they did harm to someone’s data. Thus, in order to give defend from know-unknown and the emerging threats requires constant vigilance and set of defense in place and Microsoft is master in it.

Microsoft uses its continuous, constant vigilance and an array of defense against several type of know-unknown and emerging threats.



Let’s take a quick look at the bullets of this feature:

• Integrated development system manages security updates for the software.
  
• You can also apply Security Update Management Program to you virtual machine for extra layer of security.
  
• Continuous monitoring and analysis of the traffic reveals all the anomalies and potential threats.
  
• Microsoft also uses some Forensic Tools to provide better security against the threats and spacious adds.

I hope you guys will like it. Keep Sharing! Keep Tweaking!