Azure Shared Responsibility Model Explained for Cloud Computing

The Azure Shared Responsibility Model is a critical concept for cloud computing, and understanding it is essential for businesses moving to the cloud. Cloud providers like Microsoft Azure are responsible for the security of the cloud, but users are responsible for securing their data.

As a cloud user, you have control over your data and applications, but you don't have direct access to the underlying infrastructure. This is where the shared responsibility model comes into play. Microsoft Azure is responsible for the security of the cloud, but you're responsible for securing your data and applications within the cloud.

In the Azure Shared Responsibility Model, Microsoft is responsible for the security of the cloud, including the physical data centers, network, and underlying infrastructure. You, on the other hand, are responsible for the security of your data, applications, and operating systems. This means you need to ensure your data is encrypted, and your applications are secure.

The Azure Shared Responsibility Model is a concept that can seem confusing at first, but it's actually quite straightforward. Microsoft recommends that customers adhere to this model when using their public cloud platform.

The model segregates the ownership of the platform, operating system, application, identity, and data between Microsoft and its customers, depending on the deployment model used. This is a crucial aspect to understand, especially when it comes to security responsibilities.

Microsoft owns the physical security of Azure data centers, while customers are responsible for the remaining security responsibilities above the stack. This includes having an Azure Backup tool in place, which is 100% essential.

In an IaaS model, customers own OS-level security, patching, and vulnerability management. However, in PaaS services like WebApps, Microsoft manages these aspects, while customers take care of the stack above the OS.

Here's a breakdown of the shared responsibility model across different deployment models:

This model can be confusing, but it's essential to understand which security aspects are your responsibility to avoid security loopholes. By following the shared responsibility model, you can ensure a safe computing environment for running applications.

In a cloud computing contract, the responsibilities of the client and Microsoft Azure are clearly defined. The client owns the whole stack in an on-premises data center, but as they move to the cloud, some of these responsibilities shift to Microsoft Azure.

The client is responsible for maintaining the security of their data and identities, as well as the on-premises resources and managed cloud components. This includes data management, access management, and ensuring that network security is maintained.

There are different cloud deployment models, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). In an IaaS deployment, customers are responsible for securing the operating system, network control, applications, identity and directory infrastructure, accounts and identities, devices, and information and data classification.

In contrast, in a SaaS deployment, Microsoft is responsible for securing the application, network control, operating system, physical hosts, physical networks, and physical data center. The client is responsible for information and data classification, device security, and accounts and identities.

Here's a breakdown of the responsibilities in a SaaS deployment:

Understanding these responsibilities is crucial when signing a cloud computing contract with Microsoft Azure. It's essential to know what you're responsible for and what Microsoft is responsible for to ensure a secure and reliable cloud deployment.

Azure prioritizes platform security to safeguard customers' sensitive data and applications by taking ownership of the security of its infrastructure. It tracks down fraud and abuse and alerts users when an event occurs.

Azure is responsible for maintaining the safety of the technology, software, and real estate used to house Azure services, as well as the security setup of its managed services.

The Azure Shared Responsibility Model ensures the underlying infrastructure's processing, storage, networking, and database services are safeguarded against incursions.

Here are some key Azure cloud security features:

Microsoft Azure prioritizes platform security to safeguard customers' sensitive data and applications by taking ownership of the security of its infrastructure. Azure tracks down fraud and abuse and alerts users when an event occurs.

The underlying infrastructure's processing, storage, networking, and database services are safeguarded against incursions by the Azure Shared Responsibility Model. Azure maintains the safety of the technology, software, and real estate used to house Azure services.

Azure is responsible for the security configuration of its managed services such as Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Container Instances, Cosmos DB, SQL, Data Lake Storage, Blob Storage, and others.

Here's a breakdown of Azure's responsibilities:

Microsoft is also responsible for the security of the underlying infrastructure, including computing, storage, networking, and database services. This includes protecting against intrusions, zero-day exploits, and other vulnerabilities.

Azure has a robust offering for distributed denial of service protection, which they call DDOS Protection. This service helps safeguard against malicious traffic attacks that can bring down your online presence.

Azure's DDOS Protection is a key feature in their cloud security suite, designed to detect and mitigate DDoS attacks in real-time. It can help prevent service disruptions and protect your business reputation.

If you're looking for alternatives, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) also offers a DDoS protection service called Google Cloud Armor. This service provides a similar level of protection against DDoS attacks, helping to safeguard your online applications and services.

Here's a quick comparison of Azure's DDOS Protection and Google Cloud Armor:

Both Azure's DDOS Protection and Google Cloud Armor are designed to provide robust protection against DDoS attacks, helping to ensure the availability and reliability of your online presence.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a crucial part of the Azure shared responsibility model. This is where organizations are responsible for user accounts, which is part of what's called identity and access management, or IAM for short.

IAM involves defining user access with a privileged role, also known as role-based access control. There are some shared user and IAM features across all three platforms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), built-in role-based access control (RBAC), and custom role-based access control.

Azure offers a service called Privileged Identity Management, which includes just-in-time privilege access to Azure AD and Azure Resources. AWS and GCP don't have a built-in feature to address PAM, but you can deploy a third-party solution to address this via the Marketplace.

To implement IAM effectively, it's essential to follow the principle of least privilege, which means providing the minimum level of access required for a limited duration to perform any activity. Azure AD is a centralized identity management service that helps implement Role-Based Access Control for your Azure resources.

Here are some key features of Azure AD:

Azure AD customers are responsible for implementing a robust authentication mechanism, applying security policies, monitoring, and auditing sign-ins in their environment. This includes monitoring and taking action if users' credentials are compromised, users sign in from risky locations, or their devices are infected.

As you move your application and data to the cloud, it's essential to understand the Azure shared responsibility model. You own the whole stack in an on-premises data center, but some of your duties shift to Microsoft Azure as you go to the cloud.

The regions of responsibility between the client and Microsoft according to the kind of stack deployment are shown in a diagram. You are the owner of your data and identities for all cloud deployment.

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your data and identities, as well as the on-premises resources and managed cloud components. This includes data, access management, and ensuring that information, data, devices, accounts, and identities are secure.

In all SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS deployments, Microsoft is always responsible for securing the physical layer of the service. This includes the security of the physical hosts, networks, and data centers.

Here's a summary of the common Microsoft and customer responsibilities in SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS deployment models:

You are responsible for securing the data and identities, while Microsoft handles the security of the physical hosts, networks, and data centers. This is a crucial aspect of the Azure shared responsibility model, and it's essential to understand your responsibilities as a customer.

When managing customer responsibilities in the Azure shared responsibility model, it's essential to use appropriate storage types and configure encryption, security, and network access options that suit your business.

To apply data loss prevention (DLP) policies, you should implement DLP policies to sensitive data.

Inbound and outbound rules must be secure, so implement secure inbound and outbound rules and configure firewall policies for IaaS and PaaS services in Azure.

For mobile device management, consider using Microsoft Intune for Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM) solutions.

Identity protection is crucial, so enable identity protection in Azure AD and monitor, assess, and alert the user about sign-in risks.

Privilege access should be managed, which is why implementing Azure AD PIM for just-in-time privilege access and identity governance is recommended.

To ensure seamless access, implement Azure AD SSO, conditional access, and MFA.

For comprehensive security, use the Azure security center (now known as Defender for Cloud) to find and fix vulnerabilities, block malicious access, and alert you when your resources are under attack.

Here are some key features to consider when evaluating different platforms:

Azure offers several cloud service types, each with its own unique features and benefits.

Azure App Service is a fully managed platform that allows you to build, deploy, and scale web applications and mobile backends.

Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that allows you to run small code snippets in response to events, such as changes to data or user interactions.

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed container orchestration service that allows you to deploy and manage containerized applications in a scalable and secure way.

Virtual Machines (VMs) in Azure are virtualized computing resources that you can use to deploy and run your own applications and services.

Cloud Security Support is a crucial aspect of the Azure Shared Responsibility Model. Azure takes ownership of the security of its infrastructure, including computing, storage, networking, and database services against intrusions.

In addition to infrastructure security, Azure is also responsible for the security of the software, hardware, and physical facilities that host Azure services. This includes managed services such as Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Container Instances, Cosmos DB, SQL, Data Lake Storage, and Blob Storage.

However, as a customer, you are responsible for ensuring the security of your data and identities. This includes maintaining the security of your data and identities, as well as on-premises resources and managed cloud components.

To ensure the security of your data, you should be able to access and maintain it. You should also implement access management to limit who gets access to your resources differently depending on their roles.

Here's a breakdown of the responsibilities:

By understanding these responsibilities, you can ensure that your Azure environment is set up securely and that you're taking the necessary steps to protect your data and identities.

Azure cloud security is a significant concern for businesses, especially large ones with sensitive data. It's a challenge to strike the right balance between security requirements and running your business smoothly.

The Azure Shared Responsibility Model helps you understand your role in managing your infrastructure. As a customer, you're responsible for ensuring the security of your data and identities, including access management and maintaining the security of your on-premises resources and managed cloud components.

The model emphasizes the importance of configuring Azure services in a secure manner, restricting access to Azure services or custom applications, and preventing sensitive data from being uploaded or shared inappropriately. This requires thorough knowledge of the provider's tools, resources, and configuration options.

Here are some key responsibilities of the Azure Shared Responsibility Model:

In today's digital world, security is a significant concern for large and small organizations.

Security is a challenge to balance with running a business smoothly, but it's crucial for success.

The Azure Shared Responsibility Model helps you understand how much responsibility you have in managing your infrastructure.

It's the customer's responsibility to ensure that multi-factor authentication is enabled for users, especially those with the most granular IAM permissions in Azure.

Azure's default security settings are often the least safe, so enterprises should prioritize improving these settings first.

Assessing the resources and services used is essential to determine the desired security levels.

Infrastructure security is a significant focus for cloud providers, who are often highly proficient at it. This can be a considerable advantage for small-to-midsize businesses that need to gain in-house security knowledge.

Users must trust that cloud providers are delivering on their security responsibilities, which can be difficult for large businesses with sensitive data. This is especially true for businesses with strict compliance and governance standards.

Users must be thoroughly aware of the provider's tools, resources, and configuration options to handle half of the shared responsibility. This includes employing encryption to protect workloads and data running inside the cloud's infrastructure.

To ensure adequate protection, users must be aware of any infrastructure or service changes providers make, such as API upgrades. This requires regular monitoring and updates to maintain the security of setups and settings.

Here are some key benefits of cloud security: