Public Preview: Managed Identity support for graphical session recording
Overview Azure Bastion provides secure RDP and SSH access to Azure virtual machines directly via the Azure portal or via the native SSH/RDP client already installed on your local computer. Today, we are introducing public preview for managed identity support for session recording, giving administrators a seamless, identity-based way to authenticate Bastion when writing recordings to a designated storage account. Why Managed Identities? With managed identity support, Bastion authenticates directly to your storage account using an Azure identity, no additional credentials to configure or manage. You can use either a system-assigned or user-assigned managed identity depending on your needs. Authentication is handled automatically through Microsoft Entra ID, which means setup is straightforward: enable the identity, assign a role, and point Bastion at your storage container. For organizations operating at scale across many Bastion deployments and regions, this identity-based approach removes the need to manage credentials, aligns with Zero Trust principles, and lets you control access centrally through Azure RBAC. Getting Started in Azure Portal Prerequisites Ensure that Azure Bastion is deployed with the Premium SKU Ensure that a storage account with a dedicated container for session recordings is created Ensure that the storage account has the required CORS policy configured. Click here to set up the storage account for session recordings Ensure that users who need to view recordings have the Storage Blob Data Reader role on the storage account Steps Navigate to your Bastion resource in the Azure portal. Select Identity (Preview) in the left pane and turn the Status to On to enable a system-assigned managed identity. Wait for the configuration to complete. Select Azure role assignments, then select Add role assignment (Preview). Assign the Storage Blob Data Contributor role scoped to your storage account. Select Save, then navigate to the Configuration blade. Under Session Recording Configuration, select System Assigned Managed Identity and enter the Blob Container URI for your storage container. Navigate to the Session recordings blade to view and play back recorded sessions. Next Steps Learn more about configuring session recording with managed identities here and keep up to date with all things Azure Bastion in our What's New page.Azure Bastion: Enterprise-grade secure access made simple
Managing secure remote access to virtual machines traditionally means juggling public IP addresses, configuring jump boxes, deploying VPN infrastructure, and managing complex firewall rules. Each layer adds cost, complexity, and potential security vulnerabilities. Azure Bastion changes everything. It's a fully managed PaaS service that provides secure RDP/SSH connectivity to Azure VMs directly through the Azure portal, without exposing VMs to the public internet. No public IPs, no jump boxes, no VPN clients. Azure Bastion isn't one-size-fits-all. Whether you're running a development sandbox, managing production workloads at scale, or operating in regulated industries with strict compliance requirements, there's a Bastion SKU designed for your specific needs. Basic SKU for small production workloads with browser-based access. Ideal for small businesses, startups, or single-application environments with limited concurrent users (up to 2 instances). Standard SKU for scalable production environments requiring VNet peering, native client and shareable links for non-portal access. Supports up to 50 scale units, perfect for growing organizations and multi-VNET architectures. Premium SKU for regulated industries requiring session recording for compliance (HIPAA, SOX, PCI-DSS, FDA), private-only deployment for zero internet exposure. Essential for healthcare, finance, pharmaceuticals, government, and air-gapped environments. Let's dive into real-world scenarios that showcase how Azure Bastion simplifies enterprise-grade secure access. Real-World Scenarios: Azure Bastion features are best understood through real-world application. In the scenarios below, we'll tackle three common enterprise challenges with remote secure access. Let's see Azure Bastion in action. Scenario 1: Instant Vendor Access Without the Hassle The Challenge: It's 3 PM on Friday when your production database experiences critical performance issues. An external DBA consultant needs immediate access to investigate, but your organization faces a familiar dilemma. The traditional provisioning process requires creating a temporary Azure AD account, configuring VPN access and credentials, coordinating with the security team for approvals, and ensuring timely revocation after the engagement concludes. Even with expedited processes, this takes 2-3 hours—and there's always the risk of lingering permissions if revocation is overlooked. By the time access is provisioned, it's often too late to resolve the issue before the weekend, leaving your production environment vulnerable and your team working overtime. The Solution: Shareable Links: Generate a secure URL for instant VM access: no Azure credentials, no VPN, no account creation is required. Implementation: Step 1: Enable Shareable Links Navigate to Bastion → Configuration → Toggle Shareable Link to Enabled → Click Apply Step 2: Generate Link Go to Bastion → Select Shareable Links → Add → Choose VM→ Apply →Copy generated URL Step 3: Share & Monitor Share URL securely with vendor → Vendor connects via browser using VM credentials Monitor active sessions in Bastion → Shareable Links Real World Impact: A global financial services firm now grants emergency vendor access in under 5 minutes instead of 2-3 hours, with zero IT overhead for account provisioning or VPN setup. Links can be revoked after the set duration, eliminating lingering access risks. Every vendor session is logged, providing complete audit trails that satisfy SOX and PCI-DSS compliance requirements without additional administrative effort. Scenario 2: Comprehensive Compliance with Session Recording The Challenge: Your healthcare organization operates under HIPAA regulations, which mandate comprehensive audit trails of all administrative access to systems containing Protected Health Information (PHI). Traditional text logs capture what was accessed, but not what actions were performed—and they're difficult to analyze during audits. You need indisputable video evidence of administrative activities with secure 7-year retention. The Solution: Graphical Session Recording: Azure Bastion Premium's Session Recording feature automatically captures every RDP and SSH session as a video recording, stored securely in Azure Storage with immutable retention policies. Implementation: Step 1: Prepare Storage Account Create a dedicated storage account with blob versioning, lifecycle management (7 years for HIPAA), soft delete (90 days), and RBAC restricted to security/compliance team. Also make sure there is a dedicated container created for Bastion Sessions and CORS policy configured on the storage account to allow your bastion. Step 2: Enable Session Recording Navigate to Bastion → Configuration → Toggle Session Recording to Enabled → Apply Add/Update the SAS URL of the storage account in the Session Recordings blade of Bastion for the recordings to be stored in the specified storage account. Step 3: Connect as Usual Administrators connect through Azure portal normally: VM → Connect → Bastion → Enter credentials → Connect Every session is automatically recorded—no extra steps for users. Step 4: Review Recordings Security teams access recordings from the Session Recordings blade on Azure Bastion which will retrieve data from the configured Storage Account. Real World Impact: A healthcare provider with 50+ hospitals now maintains 100% HIPAA-compliant audit trails of all administrative access to PHI systems through automated video recordings. The organization reduced audit preparation time by 75%, as compliance teams can quickly review specific sessions instead of analyzing thousands of text log entries. Session recordings have enabled post-incident investigations to identify unauthorized configuration changes and provide indisputable video evidence for security reviews and regulatory audits. Scenario 3: Zero Internet Exposure with Private-Only Deployment The Challenge: A global pharmaceutical company developing cancer treatments operates under FDA regulations requiring zero internet exposure for drug development systems. Their security mandate: no public IP addresses on production infrastructure, complete air-gapped connectivity to protect intellectual property, and administrative access from corporate network only. Traditional Azure Bastion requires a public IP address—violating their zero-trust security policy. The Solution: Private-Only Bastion: Azure Bastion Premium's private-only deployment eliminates the public IP address entirely. All connectivity flows through your org’s configured Express Route, S2S or P2S connectivity for complete air-gapped operations. Implementation: Select Azure Bastion Premium SKU and Deploy Private-Only Bastion Configure Private Connectivity from On Prem using your orgs preferred way of connectivity Connect from Corporate Network using Private IP address of the Bastion Deployment Real-World Impact A pharmaceutical company with 20+ research facilities deploys private-only Bastion for FDA-regulated drug development systems. The company now achieves complete air-gapped operations with zero internet endpoints while maintaining centralized access management for 200+ researchers across global facilities. Research teams connect securely via ExpressRoute with all administrative sessions network-isolated, FDA compliance audits confirm 100% of connections originate from corporate private networks, and the organization eliminated $2M in annual costs by decommissioning internet-isolated jump boxes. Conclusion: Azure Bastion transforms the traditional trade-off between security and operational efficiency into a unified solution. Whether you're granting emergency access or preparing for your next HIPAA audit, Azure Bastion delivers what enterprises need: secure temporary access as and when needed, complete audit trails with zero administrator overhead, and comprehensive compliance without compromising productivity, bringing a fundamental shift in how organizations approach secure remote access in the cloud. Resources: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/bastion/ https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/bastion/shareable-link https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/bastion/session-recording https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/azure-bastion/How Azure network security can help you meet NIS2 compliance
With the adoption of the NIS2 Directive EU 2022 2555, cybersecurity obligations for both public and private sector organizations have become more strict and far reaching. NIS2 aims to establish a higher common level of cybersecurity across the European Union by enforcing stronger requirements on risk management, incident reporting, supply chain protection, and governance. If your organization runs on Microsoft Azure, you already have powerful services to support your NIS2 journey. In particular Azure network security products such as Azure Firewall, Azure Web Application Firewall WAF, and Azure DDoS Protection provide foundational controls. The key is to configure and operate them in a way that aligns with the directive’s expectations. Important note This article is a technical guide based on the NIS2 Directive EU 2022 2555 and Microsoft product documentation. It is not legal advice. For formal interpretations, consult your legal or regulatory experts. What is NIS2? NIS2 replaces the original NIS Directive 2016 and entered into force on 16 January 2023. Member states must transpose it into national law by 17 October 2024. Its goals are to: Expand the scope of covered entities essential and important entities Harmonize cybersecurity standards across member states Introduce stricter supervisory and enforcement measures Strengthen supply chain security and reporting obligations Key provisions include: Article 20 management responsibility and governance Article 21 cybersecurity risk management measures Article 23 incident notification obligations These articles require organizations to implement technical, operational, and organizational measures to manage risks, respond to incidents, and ensure leadership accountability. Where Azure network security fits The table below maps common NIS2 focus areas to Azure network security capabilities and how they support compliance outcomes. NIS2 focus area Azure services and capabilities How this supports compliance Incident handling and detection Azure Firewall Premium IDPS and TLS inspection, Threat Intelligence mode, Azure WAF managed rule sets and custom rules, Azure DDoS Protection, Azure Bastion diagnostic logs Detect, block, and log threats across layers three to seven. Provide telemetry for triage and enable response workflows that are auditable. Business continuity and resilience Azure Firewall availability zones and autoscale, Azure Front Door or Application Gateway WAF with zone redundant deployments, Azure Monitor with Log Analytics, Traffic Manager or Front Door for failover Improve service availability and provide data for resilience reviews and disaster recovery scenarios. Access control and segmentation Azure Firewall policy with DNAT, network, and application rules, NSGs and ASGs, Azure Bastion for browser based RDP SSH without public IPs, Private Link Enforce segmentation and isolation of critical assets. Support Zero Trust and least privilege for inbound and egress. Vulnerability and misconfiguration defense Azure WAF Microsoft managed rule set based on OWASP CRS. Azure Firewall Premium IDPS signatures Reduce exposure to common web exploits and misconfigurations for public facing apps and APIs. Encryption and secure communications TLS policy: Application Gateway SSL policy; Front Door TLS policy; App Service/PaaS minimum TLS. Inspection: Azure Firewall Premium TLS inspection Inspect and enforce encrypted communication policies and block traffic that violates TLS requirements. Inspect decrypted traffic for threats. Incident reporting and evidence Azure Network Security diagnostics, Log Analytics, Microsoft Sentinel incidents, workbooks, and playbooks Capture and retain telemetry. Correlate events, create incident timelines, and export reports to meet regulator timelines. NIS2 articles in practice Article 21 cybersecurity risk management measures Azure network controls contribute to several required measures: Prevention and detection. Azure Firewall blocks unauthorized access and inspects traffic with IDPS. Azure DDoS Protection mitigates volumetric and protocol attacks. Azure WAF prevents common web exploits based on OWASP guidance. Logging and monitoring. Azure Firewall, WAF, DDoS, and Bastion resources produce detailed resource logs and metrics in Azure Monitor. Ingest these into Microsoft Sentinel for correlation, analytics rules, and automation. Control of encrypted communications. Azure Firewall Premium provides TLS inspection to reveal malicious payloads inside encrypted sessions. Supply chain and service provider management. Use Azure Policy and Defender for Cloud to continuously assess configuration and require approved network security baselines across subscriptions and landing zones. Article 23 incident notification Build an evidence friendly workflow with Sentinel: Early warning within twenty four hours. Use Sentinel analytics rules on Firewall, WAF, DDoS, and Bastion logs to generate incidents and trigger playbooks that assemble an initial advisory. Incident notification within seventy two hours. Enrich the incident with additional context such as mitigation actions from DDoS, Firewall and WAF. Final report within one month. Produce a summary that includes root cause, impact, and corrective actions. Use Workbooks to export charts and tables that back up your narrative. Article 20 governance and accountability Management accountability. Track policy compliance with Azure Policy initiatives for Firewall, DDoS and WAF. Use exemptions rarely and record justification. Centralized visibility. Defender for Cloud’s network security posture views and recommendations give executives and owners a quick view of exposure and misconfigurations. Change control and drift prevention. Manage Firewall, WAF, and DDoS through Network Security Hub and Infrastructure as Code with Bicep or Terraform. Require pull requests and approvals to enforce four eyes on changes. Network security baseline Use this blueprint as a starting point. Adapt to your landing zone architecture and regulator guidance. Topology and control plane Hub and spoke architecture with a centralized Azure Firewall Premium in the hub. Enable availability zones. Deploy Azure Bastion Premium in the hub or a dedicated management VNet; peer to spokes. Remove public IPs from management NICs and disable public RDP SSH on VMs. Use Network Security Hub for at-scale management. Require Infrastructure as Code for all network security resources. Web application protection Protect public apps with Azure Front Door Premium WAF where edge inspection is required. Use Application Gateway WAF v2 for regional scenarios. Enable the Microsoft managed rule set and the latest version. Add custom rules for geo based allow or deny and bot management. enable rate limiting when appropriate. DDoS strategy Enable DDoS Network Protection on virtual networks that contain internet facing resources. Use IP Protection for single public IP scenarios. Configure DDoS diagnostics and alerts. Stream to Sentinel. Define runbooks for escalation and service team engagement. Firewall policy Enable IDPS in alert and then in alert and deny for high confidence signatures. Enable TLS inspection for outbound and inbound where supported. Enforce FQDN and URL filtering for egress. Require explicit allow lists for critical segments. Deny inbound RDP SSH from the internet. Allow management traffic only from Bastion subnets or approved management jump segments. Logging, retention, and access Turn on diagnostic settings for Firewall, WAF, DDoS, and Application Gateway or Front Door. Send to Log Analytics and an archive storage account for long term retention. Set retention per national law and internal policy. Azure Monitor Log Analytics supports table-level retention and archive for up to 12 years, many teams keep a shorter interactive window and multi-year archive for audits. Restrict access with Azure RBAC and Customer Managed Keys where applicable. Automation and playbooks Build Sentinel playbooks for regulator notifications, ticket creation, and evidence collection. Maintain dry run versions for exercises. Add analytics for Bastion session starts to sensitive VMs, excessive failed connection attempts, and out of hours access. Conclusion Azure network security services provide the technical controls most organizations need in order to align with NIS2. When combined with policy enforcement, centralized logging, and automated detection and response, they create a defensible and auditable posture. Focus on layered protection, secure connectivity, and real time response so that you can reduce exposure to evolving threats, accelerate incident response, and meet NIS2 obligations with confidence. References NIS2 primary source Directive (EU) 2022/2555 (NIS2). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2555/oj/eng Azure Firewall Premium features (TLS inspection, IDPS, URL filtering). https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/premium-features Deploy & configure Azure Firewall Premium. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/premium-deploy IDPS signature categories reference. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/idps-signature-categories Monitoring & diagnostic logs reference. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/monitor-firewall-reference Web Application Firewall WAF on Azure Front Door overview & features. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/frontdoor/web-application-firewall WAF on Application Gateway overview. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/web-application-firewall/overview Examine WAF logs with Log Analytics. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/application-gateway/log-analytics Rate limiting with Front Door WAF. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/web-application-firewall/afds/waf-front-door-rate-limit Azure DDoS Protection Service overview & SKUs (Network Protection, IP Protection). https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ddos-protection/ddos-protection-overview Quickstart: Enable DDoS IP Protection. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ddos-protection/manage-ddos-ip-protection-portal View DDoS diagnostic logs (Notifications, Mitigation Reports/Flows). https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ddos-protection/ddos-view-diagnostic-logs Azure Bastion Azure Bastion overview and SKUs. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/bastion/bastion-overview Deploy and configure Azure Bastion. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/bastion/tutorial-create-host-portal Disable public RDP and SSH on Azure VMs. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/security-baseline Azure Bastion diagnostic logs and metrics. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/bastion/bastion-diagnostic-logs Microsoft Sentinel Sentinel documentation (onboard, analytics, automation). https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sentinel/ Azure Firewall solution for Microsoft Sentinel. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall/firewall-sentinel-overview Use Microsoft Sentinel with Azure WAF. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/web-application-firewall/waf-sentinel Architecture & routing Hub‑spoke network topology (reference). https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/networking/architecture/hub-spoke Azure Firewall Manager & secured virtual hub. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/firewall-manager/secured-virtual-hub
Can only remote into azure vm from DC
Hi all, I have set up a site to site connection from on prem to azure and I can remote in via the main dc on prem but not any other server or ping from any other server to the azure. Why can I only remote into the azure VM from the server that has Routing and remote access? Any ideas on how I can fix this?Azure Networking Portfolio Consolidation
Overview Over the past decade, Azure Networking has expanded rapidly, bringing incredible tools and capabilities to help customers build, connect, and secure their cloud infrastructure. But we've also heard strong feedback: with over 40 different products, it hasn't always been easy to navigate and find the right solution. The complexity often led to confusion, slower onboarding, and missed capabilities. That's why we're excited to introduce a more focused, streamlined, and intuitive experience across Azure.com, the Azure portal, and our documentation pivoting around four core networking scenarios: Network foundations: Network foundations provide the core connectivity for your resources, using Virtual Network, Private Link, and DNS to build the foundation for your Azure network. Try it with this link: Network foundations Hybrid connectivity: Hybrid connectivity securely connects on-premises, private, and public cloud environments, enabling seamless integration, global availability, and end-to-end visibility, presenting major opportunities as organizations advance their cloud transformation. Try it with this link: Hybrid connectivity Load balancing and content delivery: Load balancing and content delivery helps you choose the right option to ensure your applications are fast, reliable, and tailored to your business needs. Try it with this link: Load balancing and content delivery Network security: Securing your environment is just as essential as building and connecting it. The Network Security hub brings together Azure Firewall, DDoS Protection, and Web Application Firewall (WAF) to provide a centralized, unified approach to cloud protection. With unified controls, it helps you manage security more efficiently and strengthen your security posture. Try it with this link: Network security This new structure makes it easier to discover the right networking services and get started with just a few clicks so you can focus more on building, and less on searching. What you’ll notice: Clearer starting points: Azure Networking is now organized around four core scenarios and twelve essential services, reflecting the most common customer needs. Additional services are presented within the context of these scenarios, helping you stay focused and find the right solution without feeling overwhelmed. Simplified choices: We’ve merged overlapping or closely related services to reduce redundancy. That means fewer, more meaningful options that are easier to evaluate and act on. Sunsetting outdated services: To reduce clutter and improve clarity, we’re sunsetting underused offerings such as white-label CDN services and China CDN. These capabilities have been rolled into newer, more robust services, so you can focus on what’s current and supported. What this means for you Faster decision-making: With clearer guidance and fewer overlapping products, it's easier to discover what you need and move forward confidently. More productive sales conversations: With this simplified approach, you’ll get more focused recommendations and less confusion among sellers. Better product experience: This update makes the Azure Networking portfolio more cohesive and consistent, helping you get started quickly, stay aligned with best practices, and unlock more value from day one. The portfolio consolidation initiative is a strategic effort to simplify and enhance the Azure Networking portfolio, ensuring better alignment with customer needs and industry best practices. By focusing on top-line services, combining related products, and retiring outdated offerings, Azure Networking aims to provide a more cohesive and efficient product experience. Azure.com Before: Our original Solution page on Azure.com was disorganized and static, displaying a small portion of services in no discernable order. After: The revised solution page is now dynamic, allowing customers to click deeper into each networking and network security category, displaying the top line services, simplifying the customer experience. Azure Portal Before: With over 40 networking services available, we know it can feel overwhelming to figure out what’s right for you and where to get started. After: To make it easier, we've introduced four streamlined networking hubs each built around a specific scenario to help you quickly identify the services that match your needs. Each offers an overview to set the stage, key services to help you get started, guidance to support decision-making, and a streamlined left-hand navigation for easy access to all services and features. Documentation For documentation, we looked at our current assets as well as created new assets that aligned with the changes in the portal experience. Like Azure.com, we found the old experiences were disorganized and not well aligned. We updated our assets to focus on our top-line networking services, and to call out the pillars. Our belief is these changes will allow our customers to more easily find the relevant and important information they need for their Azure infrastructure. Azure Network Hub Before the updates, we had a hub page organized around different categories and not well laid out. In the updated hub page, we provided relevant links for top-line services within all of the Azure networking scenarios, as well as a section linking to each scenario's hub page. Scenario Hub pages We added scenario hub pages for each of the scenarios. This provides our customers with a central hub for information about the top-line services for each scenario and how to get started. Also, we included common scenarios and use cases for each scenario, along with references for deeper learning across the Azure Architecture Center, Well Architected Framework, and Cloud Adoption Framework libraries. Scenario Overview articles We created new overview articles for each scenario. These articles were designed to provide customers with an introduction to the services included in each scenario, guidance on choosing the right solutions, and an introduction to the new portal experience. Here's the Load balancing and content delivery overview: Documentation links Azure Networking hub page: Azure networking documentation | Microsoft Learn Scenario Hub pages: Azure load balancing and content delivery | Microsoft Learn Azure network foundation documentation | Microsoft Learn Azure hybrid connectivity documentation | Microsoft Learn Azure network security documentation | Microsoft Learn Scenario Overview pages What is load balancing and content delivery? | Microsoft Learn Azure Network Foundation Services Overview | Microsoft Learn What is hybrid connectivity? | Microsoft Learn What is Azure network security? | Microsoft Lea Improving user experience is a journey and in coming months we plan to do more on this. Watch out for more blogs over the next few months for further improvements.
Accelerate designing, troubleshooting & securing your network with Gen-AI powered tools, now GA.
We are thrilled to announce the general availability of Azure Networking skills in Copilot, an extension of Copilot in Azure and Security Copilot designed to enhance cloud networking experience. Azure Networking Copilot is set to transform how organizations design, operate, and optimize their Azure Network by providing contextualized responses tailored to networking-specific scenarios and using your network topology.Best Practices for Securing Access to VMs
Azure Bastion and Microsoft Entra PIM work together to secure VM access by eliminating the need for public IPs, enabling identity-based authentication, and enforcing Just-In-Time (JIT) access. Bastion provides secure RDP/SSH connections through Entra ID without local credentials, while Entra PIM ensures that users only receive time-limited, approved access. This combination supports a Zero Trust model by minimizing persistent privileges and reducing the overall attack surface.
