How to verify SQL Server is using NTLM / Kerberos authentication

You can execute the below TSQL Query to verify authentication used by SQL Server Connections.

USE master
GO

SELECT auth_scheme FROM sys.dm_exec_connections 
WHERE session_id = @@SPID;
GO

Expected Results

SQL – When SQL Server authentication is used
NTLM – When NTLM authentication is used
KERBEROS – When KERBEROS authentication is used

Reference

Azure Virtual Network concepts and best practices

This article describes key concepts and best practices for Azure Virtual Network (VNet) .

VNet concepts

  • Address space: When creating a VNet, you must specify a custom private IP address space using public and private (RFC 1918) addresses. Azure assigns resources in a virtual network a private IP address from the address space that you assign. For example, if you deploy a VM in a VNet with address space, 10.0.0.0/16, the VM will be assigned a private IP like 10.0.0.4.
  • Subnets: Subnets enable you to segment the virtual network into one or more sub-networks and allocate a portion of the virtual network’s address space to each subnet. You can then deploy Azure resources in a specific subnet. Just like in a traditional network, subnets allow you to segment your VNet address space into segments that are appropriate for the organization’s internal network. This also improves address allocation efficiency. You can secure resources within subnets using Network Security Groups. For more information, see Network security groups.
  • Regions: VNet is scoped to a single region/location; however, multiple virtual networks from different regions can be connected together using Virtual Network Peering.
  • Subscription: VNet is scoped to a subscription. You can implement multiple virtual networks within each Azure subscription and Azure region.

Best practices

As you build your network in Azure, it is important to keep in mind the following universal design principles:

  • Ensure non-overlapping address spaces. Make sure your VNet address space (CIDR block) does not overlap with your organization’s other network ranges.
  • Your subnets should not cover the entire address space of the VNet. Plan ahead and reserve some address space for the future.
  • It is recommended you have fewer large VNets rather than multiple small VNets. This will prevent management overhead.
  • Secure your VNet’s by assigning Network Security Groups (NSGs) to the subnets beneath them.

Next steps

To get started using a virtual network, create one, deploy a few VMs to it, and communicate between the VMs. To learn how, see the Create a virtual network quickstart.

Resources;

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/concepts-and-best-practices

Azure example of tagging

A resource tag consists of a name and a value. You can assign one or more tags to each Azure resource.

NameValue
AppNameThe name of the application that the resource is part of.
CostCenterThe internal cost center code.
OwnerThe name of the business owner who’s responsible for the resource.
EnvironmentAn environment name, such as “Prod,” “Dev,” or “Test.”
ImpactHow important the resource is to business operations, such as “Mission-critical,” “High-impact,” or “Low-impact.”

Here’s an example that shows these tags as they’re applied to a virtual machine during provisioning.

You can run queries, for example, from PowerShell or the Azure CLI, to list all resources that contain these tags.

Azure Policy is a service in Azure that enables you to create, assign, and manage policies that control or audit your resources. These policies enforce different rules and effects over your resource configurations so that those configurations stay compliant with corporate standards.

Read more about it here;

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/build-cloud-governance-strategy-azure/8-control-audit-resources-azure-policy

Reference;

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/build-cloud-governance-strategy-azure/7-organize-resource-tags

Prevent accidental changes by using resource locks

resource lock prevents resources from being accidentally deleted or changed.

You can manage resource locks from the Azure portal, PowerShell, the Azure CLI, or from an Azure Resource Manager template.

To view, add, or delete locks in the Azure portal, go to the Settings section of any resource’s Settings pane in the Azure portal.

Here’s an example that shows how to add a resource lock from the Azure portal. You’ll apply a similar resource lock in the next part.

You can apply locks to a subscription, a resource group, or an individual resource. You can set the lock level to CanNotDelete or ReadOnly

Resource locks apply regardless of RBAC permissions

To make the protection process more robust, you can combine resource locks with Azure Blueprints. Azure Blueprints enables you to define the set of standard Azure resources that your organization requires. For example, you can define a blueprint that specifies that a certain resource lock must exist. Azure Blueprints can automatically replace the resource lock if that lock is removed.

Follow this for an example;

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/build-cloud-governance-strategy-azure/6-protect-storage-account-resource-lock

Reference

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/build-cloud-governance-strategy-azure/5-prevent-changes-resource-locks