Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is a comprehensive desktop and app virtualization service running on Azure cloud. With Azure Virtual Desktop, one can set up a scalable and elastic Windows desktop environment in just a few minutes. However, managing and governing access to this service is an important aspect that cannot be overlooked. This is where Azure roles and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) comes into play.
Role-based access control (RBAC) is an authorization system built on Azure Resource Manager that provides fine-grained access management of resources in Azure. RBAC in Azure Virtual Desktop lets the admin grant access to Azure resources in the organization, allowing the admin to grant only the amount of access a user needs to perform their job. Instead of giving everybody unrestricted permission for Azure resources, you can allow only certain actions.
Plan Azure Roles for Azure Virtual Desktop
Before implementing Azure roles for the AVD, it’s vital to plan which roles are required for various tasks. The significant roles in Azure Virtual Desktop include:
- Azure Virtual Desktop Owner: This role has full control over the AVD and can manage applications, desktops, and other settings.
- Azure Virtual Desktop Contributor: This role can manage applications, desktops, and other settings but cannot change access control settings.
- Azure Virtual Desktop Reader: This role has read-only access to the AVD infrastructure and observer user sessions but cannot perform management tasks.
Here’s how an Azure role on the Azure Virtual Desktop shows up:
Azure Roles on AVD | Contributions | Limitations |
---|---|---|
Azure Virtual Desktop Owner | Full control over AVD | none |
Azure Virtual Desktop Contributor | Can manage applications and desktops | Cannot change access control settings |
Azure Virtual Desktop Reader | Read-only access to AVD infrastructure | Cannot perform management tasks |
Implement Azure Roles
Once the planning phase is complete, implementing the Azure roles for the AVD simply involves assigning the appropriate roles to users or groups. This process can be done using the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.
Azure Portal:
- Navigate to the Azure portal
- Go to the Azure Virtual Desktop service
- Select the workspace where you want to assign the roles
- Click on “Access control (IAM)”.
- Click on “Add role assignment” and choose the role and users to assign.
Azure CLI:
To assign roles using Azure CLI, use the “az role assignment create” command.
cli
az role assignment create --assignee
Azure PowerShell:
In Azure PowerShell, use the “New-AzRoleAssignment” cmdlet to assign roles.
powershell
New-AzRoleAssignment -SignInName user@domain.com -RoleDefinitionName "role name" -Scope "/subscriptions/
Conclusion
Ensuring access control within Azure Virtual Desktop is a crucial aspect to guarantee the secure and smooth operation of your AVD deployment. Proper planning and implementation of Azure roles and RBAC can provide your organization with the ethereal ability to control who can do what within Azure services, thereby enhancing overall security and ease of management. Plan your Azure roles wisely and remember to review your access assignments regularly to avoid unnecessary access and to maintain a secure Azure Virtual Desktop environment. Make use of the Azure roles specifically meant for AVD for better control and restriction of what your users can do. These simple steps can go a long way in ensuring smoother workflow along with a secure cloud workspace in Azure Virtual Desktop.
Practice Test
True or False: Azure Virtual Desktop does not support role-based access control (RBAC).
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: 2) False.
Explanation: Azure Virtual Desktop supports role-based access control (RBAC), which allows you to segregate duties within your team and grant only the amount of access to users that they need to perform their jobs.
Which of the following are built-in roles in Azure RBAC? (Choose multiple)
- A) Owner
- B) Reader
- C) Contributor
- D) Writer
Answer: A, B, C
Explanation: The built-in roles in Azure RBAC include Owner, Contributor, and Reader. Writer is not a built-in role.
Is it possible to customize roles in Azure RBAC?
- A) Yes
- B) No
Answer: A
Explanation: Yes, it’s possible to customize roles in Azure RBAC. Custom roles can be created if the built-in roles don’t meet your organization’s specific needs.
True or False: Azure Roles are at the resource level.
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: 1) True.
Explanation: Azure roles are at the resource level. It’s possible to set permissions for specific resources within Azure.
Which of the following does Azure RBAC use to assign roles? (Choose multiple)
- A) Azure Active Directory
- B) Role Assignment
- C) Role Definitions
- D) Role Detections
Answer: A, B, C
Explanation: Azure RBAC uses Azure Active Directory, Role Assignment, and Role Definitions to assign roles. Role Detections is not a concept related to role assignment in Azure RBAC.
True or False: Azure RBAC permissions can be assigned to users, groups, and service principals at the management group, subscription, resource group, and individual resources levels.
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: 1) True.
Explanation: Azure RBAC permissions can indeed be assigned at various levels including the management group, subscription, resource group, and individual resources levels.
What is the role of ‘Owner’ in Azure RBAC?
- A) The ability to manage everything, including access
- B) The ability to view and manage resources
- C) The ability to only view resources
- D) The ability to grant access to others
Answer: A
Explanation: In Azure RBAC, the role of ‘Owner’ has the ability to manage everything, including access to resources.
The process of associating a role definition to a user, group, service principal, or managed identity at a particular scope is known as:
- A) Role Assignment
- B) Role Association
- C) Role Access
- D) Role Allocation
Answer: A
Explanation: The process of associating a role definition to a user, group, service principal, or managed identity at a particular scope is known as Role Assignment.
True or False: Role definitions in Azure RBAC are stored in Azure Active Directory.
- 1) True
- 2) False
Answer: 2) False.
Explanation: Role definitions are stored in Azure RBAC, not Azure Active Directory.
What is the minimum scope that a custom role can be created at within Azure RBAC?
- A) Subscription
- B) Management Group
- C) Resource Group
- D) Role-based Access Control level
Answer: A
Explanation: Within Azure RBAC, the minimum scope that a custom role can be created is at the subscription level.
Interview Questions
What is Azure role-based access control (RBAC)?
Azure RBAC is a system that provides fine-grained access management for Azure resources. It is an authorization system built on Azure Resource Manager.
How can you assign roles in Azure RBAC?
In RBAC, you can assign roles at three scopes, they are: management group, subscription, and resource group.
Mention the methods to implement Azure roles and RBAC for Azure Virtual Desktop?
Azure roles for Virtual Desktop and RBAC can be implemented by using Azure portal, Azure CLI, PowerShell, and REST API.
What is the purpose of the built-in roles in Azure RBAC?
The built-in roles in Azure RBAC allow you to assign specific permissions to the users that allow them to manage Azure resources.
Can you mention the types of roles provided by Azure RBAC for Azure Virtual Desktop?
Azure RBAC offers built-in roles for Azure Virtual Desktop like Virtual Machine Contributor, Virtual Machine User Login, and Network Contributor.
How does Azure RBAC work?
Azure RBAC works by allowing you to segregate duties within your team and grant only the amount of access that users need to perform their jobs.
Why is it a good practice to assign roles at the lowest possible scope?
By assigning roles at the lowest possible scope, you minimize the risk of giving more access than necessary. This way you ensure the principle of least privilege is being followed.
How many role assignments are possible in Azure?
In Azure, there are 2000 role assignments per Azure subscription and per management group.
Can you mention the steps to grant access to a resource group in Azure RBAC?
The steps to grant access to a resource group in Azure RBAC are: Navigate to the resource group in the Azure portal, select the Access control (IAM) or role assignments, then select +Add, then select Add role assignments.
What is the significance of Azure Virtual Desktop in Role-based access control?
Azure Virtual Desktop is significant as it offers built-in roles for managing Azure Virtual Desktop resources, thus providing fine-grained control over who can access and manage these resources.
How do you remove role assignments from a user in Azure RBAC?
To remove a role assignment from a user, navigate to the Access control (IAM) blade for the relevant resource, then click on the role assignments tab. Find the user and the respective role assignment then click on the three dots and select “Remove”.
How can you troubleshoot Azure RBAC related issues?
To troubleshoot Azure RBAC related issues, you can use Azure Policy and Resource Graph. Also, Witness tracing, Activity logs and Access reviews can assist in troubleshooting Azure RBAC issues.
How to check if a user has access to a resource in Azure RBAC?
In the Azure portal, by going to the resource’s Access control (IAM) blade, and using the “Check Access” feature, you can verify if a user has access to a certain resource.
What is the concept of Deny Assignments in Azure RBAC?
Deny assignments in Azure RBAC are used to explicitly block users or groups from performing certain actions, even if a role assignment grants them those permissions.
What is the difference between Azure AD roles and Azure roles?
Azure AD roles are used to manage Azure AD resources in the Azure portal. Whereas, Azure roles are used for managing access to Azure resources. Azure AD roles don’t give access to manage Azure resources and vice versa.