Securing an Admin Portal with Azure AD and Azure App Service: A Simple and Effective Approach

When managing a line-of-business (LOB) application, securing access to your admin portal is paramount. For our admin portal, admin.coloradojackgiveback.com, we leveraged Azure Active Directory (AAD) and Azure App Service Authentication to ensure secure access for authorized personnel only. Here's how we implemented it and why this approach is a game-changer for LOB applications.

The Challenge: Simplifying Security for an Admin Portal

We needed to secure our admin site so that only authorized team members within our organization could access it. Manually managing credentials and enforcing robust security policies can be cumbersome, error-prone, and a security risk. This is where Azure Active Directory (AAD) comes in, offering seamless integration with Azure App Services.

Why Azure AD and Azure App Service?

Using Azure AD and Azure App Service Authentication provides several benefits:

1. Centralized Identity Management: Manage user access centrally via Azure AD, reducing the need for maintaining separate authentication systems.
2. Enhanced Security: Leverage enterprise-grade security features such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conditional access.
3. Simplified Integration: Azure App Services make it incredibly easy to configure authentication without needing complex coding.
4. Scalability: Easily extend access policies as your organization grows.
5. User Experience: Users can log in with their existing credentials, eliminating the need for remembering yet another username/password combination.

Step-by-Step Implementation

Here’s how we secured our admin portal with Azure AD and Azure App Service:

1. Register the App in Azure AD

We started by registering our admin portal as an app in Azure Active Directory:

1. Navigate to Azure Active Directory > App Registrations.
2. Register a new app, providing a name (e.g., Admin Portal) and specifying supported account types (single-tenant for our organization).
3. Add a redirect URI matching the login callback for our app:

   https://admin.coloradojackgiveback.com/.auth/login/aad/callback

2. Configure Authentication in Azure AD

• Added platform configuration for "Web."
• Enabled ID tokens to ensure proper authentication flow.
• Granted necessary permissions, such as User.Read for basic access to user profile information.

3. Enable Authentication in Azure App Service

Using the Azure portal:

1. Navigate to our Azure App Service hosting the admin site.
2. Under Authentication, enabled App Service Authentication and added Azure AD as the identity provider.
3. Configured it to redirect unauthenticated users to Azure AD for login.

4. Test and Verify

Once configured, we tested the flow:

• Unauthenticated users are redirected to the Azure AD login page.
• After logging in with valid credentials, users are redirected to the admin portal.

The Benefits for Line-of-Business Applications

For LOB applications like ours, integrating Azure AD and Azure App Service has been transformative. Here’s why:

1. Streamlined Onboarding

New employees can access the admin site without setting up separate credentials—just add them to Azure AD groups with the appropriate permissions.

2. Reduced Maintenance

We no longer worry about password resets, expired credentials, or unauthorized access. Everything is centrally managed in Azure AD.

3. Improved Security

With features like MFA and conditional access policies, we can enforce strict security requirements, such as requiring logins only from company devices or specific locations.

4. Time and Cost Efficiency

Setting up authentication took less than an hour, and there’s no need for custom authentication code or maintaining separate identity systems.

What’s Next?

With our admin portal secured, we’re exploring additional features:

• Conditional Access Policies: Enforce login rules based on device compliance, geographic location, and more.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Limit access to specific sections of the portal based on job roles.

Conclusion

Securing your admin portal with Azure AD and Azure App Service is not only straightforward but also highly effective. For businesses managing LOB applications, this approach provides enterprise-grade security, simplified management, and an excellent user experience. Whether you're just starting out or scaling up, leveraging these Azure features ensures your application is robust and secure. Start today by securing your own admin portal with Azure AD—you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it!

How Engstrom Consulting Can Help

At Engstrom Consulting, we specialize in Azure architecture, implementations, and custom app and web development. Whether you're looking to secure your admin portal, optimize your cloud infrastructure, or build a tailored solution for your business, our expertise ensures your project is delivered efficiently and effectively. Contact us today to learn how we can assist in your journey to modernize and secure your applications.