Azure Bastion

Azure Bastion is a pivotal service in the Azure platform, designed to provide secure and seamless Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and Secure Shell (SSH) access to Azure virtual machines (VMs). This service plays a crucial role in enabling a more secure and straightforward connection to Azure VMs without exposing them to the public internet.

‍

Key Features and Benefits of Azure Bastion

Here's a brief overview of the key features of Azure Bastion:

‍

‍

How Azure Bastion Enhances Security

Azure Bastion enhances security by:

• Reducing surface vulnerability through the elimination of public IP addresses on VMs.
• Utilizing Azure Active Directory for robust authentication.
• Providing SSL encryption for data transmission during RDP/SSH sessions.

‍

Implementing Azure Bastion

Implementing Azure Bastion involves several steps:

1. Log into Azure Portal: Access your Microsoft Azure Portal account.

2. Create Bastion Host:

• Go to the search bar, type "Bastion", and select "Create".
• Fill in the basic details like subscription, resource group, name, and region.
• Assign the Bastion host to a subnet named 'AzureBastionSubnet' and set a public IP address.

3. Configure Network Settings:

• Ensure the Bastion host and your VMs are in the same virtual network.

4. Deploy Bastion Host: Review settings and click "Create" to deploy the Bastion host.

5. Access VMs through Bastion:

• Navigate to your VM in the Azure portal.
• Click "Connect", choose "Bastion", and enter VM credentials to start an RDP/SSH session.

‍

Conclusion

Azure Bastion is an essential tool in the Azure ecosystem, offering a secure, integrated, and user-friendly solution for RDP and SSH access to Azure VMs. It is notable for its advanced security features and ease of use, making it an ideal choice for secure and efficient VM management in Azure.