PL 400: Design authentication and authorization strategy (Part 1)

This article is a continuation of my PL 400 preparation. All information and images are taken from Microsoft doc or community. This effort is part of learning and sharing.

Security is an essential component of software. Nowadays, since entire processes and services run on the cloud, authentication and authorization are highly important as it enables organizations to keep their networks secure by allowing only authenticated users (or processes) to access their protected resources, including Computer systems may include networks, databases, websites and other network-based applications or services.

By definition, Authentication is:

the process or action of verifying the identify of User or Process.
and Authorization means :

Authorization is a security mechanism to determine access levels or user/client privileges related to system resources including files, services, computer programs, data and application features.

Microsoft Power Platform is a line of business intelligence, app development, and app connectivity software application. All of the Power Platform tools rely on the Azure Active Directory identity services for user accounts and licensing. Administrators therefore use the standard Azure tools, such as Microsoft 365 admin center, for user account maintenance and license assignment. 





The Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) enterprise identity service provides single sign-on and multi-factor authentication to help protect your users from 99.9 percent of cybersecurity attacks.

  • Single sign-on simplifies access to your apps from anywhere.
  • Conditional Access and multi-factor authentication help protect and govern access.
  • A single identity platform lets you engage with internal and external users more securely.

User Accounts of all of the Microsoft's cloud offerings are stored in a Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) tenant which contains user accounts and groups. Tenant refers to the container in which all your different environments reside. In other words, a tenant is the regional location that contains servers that provide cloud services.

In addition to Azure Active Directory, licensing plays an important role in this process. Licensing is like the first control-gate to allow access to Power Apps components. Access to Power Apps and Power Automate begins with having a license. The type of license the user holds determines what assets and data the user can access.

In the Power Platform, there are five layer of security:

  • Azure AD Conditional Access.
  • Environment Roles
  • Resources Permission for Apps, flows, custom connectors
  • CDS Security Roles 
  • Cross-tenant inbound & outbound restriction to the 300 + connectors to Cloud services, content services, DBs, APIs etc.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Exploring the Differences: Managed vs. Unmanaged Solutions in Dynamics CRM/Dataverse

Image
In Dynamics CRM/Dataverse, solutions are central to Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) , providing a structured way to manage, package, and distribute customizations across environments. Microsoft uses solutions to transfer apps and customizations by exporting them from one Dataverse environment and importing them into another.  Each solution is authored and maintained by a publisher and includes components like Power Apps (canvas and model-driven), flows, entities, forms, connectors, web resources, and configurations—excluding business data. Solutions streamline ALM practices within Microsoft Power Platform. In Dynamics CRM/Dataverse, there are two types of solutions: Managed and Unmanaged . When planning an implementation, it’s important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each to make an informed decision. Let’s explore both types to determine the best approach for development and deployment. In Dynamics 365 CRM, a managed solution is a fully packaged solution ...
Read more

PCF vs. Web Resources: Choosing the Right Extensibility Tool for Dataverse

Image
Extensibility refers to the ability to be extended or augmented beyond the default capabilities of the platform. This involves customization but also includes more advanced techniques, such as coding, integration with external services, and the use of custom components. In the context of Power Platform and Dynamics CRM, the term "extend behavior" refers to the ability to customize and extend the functionality of the platform to meet specific business needs. Extensibility often requires technical skills, such as coding in JavaScript, C#, or using tools like Azure Logic Apps and Power Automate for complex integrations. Customization  is a subset of extensibility. Customization involves configuring and modifying existing elements within the platform to suit specific business needs. Extensibility, on the other hand, covers a wide range of functions and techniques, including customization and more advanced development and integration tasks, to extend the capabilities of the Power ...
Read more

Effective Strategies for Debugging Plugins in Dynamics CRM

Image
In a recent interview, I was asked about debugging plugins in Dynamics CRM. The interviewer specifically wanted to know my approach to plugin debugging. In response, I mentioned using the Plugin Registration Tool profiler. However, I later realized there are multiple methods to debug plugins in Dynamics CRM/Dataverse, each essential for efficient troubleshooting. Debugging plays a crucial role in development, and having a solid understanding of various debugging approaches can help streamline issue resolution in Dynamics 365. Here, I'll explore different techniques for debugging plugin code. There are below options to use in the plugin in Dynamics CRM/Dataverse ITracingService : In Dynamics CRM plugin development, ITracingService is a service provided within the plugin's execution context that logs information for tracing and debugging. It allows developers to capture real-time. Plugin Profiler : A plugin profiler in Dynamics CRM (or Dataverse) is a debugging tool in the Plugi...
Read more