Azure Bastion vs RDP: A Comprehensive Comparison

When deploying to a production environment, it's crucial to consider the blast radius and other security boundaries. In this article, we'll explore the differences between Azure Bastion and traditional Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connectivity.

One of the primary advantages of Azure Bastion is its ability to support virtual network (vNet) peerings. This allows for secure remote access to resources within your virtual networks. Additionally, Azure Bastion comes in two versions: Basic and Standard. The key difference between these two options lies in the use of native clients for connectivity.

According to Microsoft's official documentation, using native clients with the Standard SKU enables direct connection to Azure Bastion without requiring a VPN or other additional infrastructure. This simplifies the process of remote access to your virtual machines.

Azure Bastion provides an added layer of security by removing the need for public IP addresses on your resources. By placing the public IP on the Bastion service, it acts as a proxy for accessing resources, eliminating the risk of exposure to external threats. Furthermore, all traffic transmitted through Azure Bastion is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS), ensuring secure communication.

Another significant benefit of Azure Bastion is its ability to support RDP and SSH protocols for managing virtual machines. This eliminates the need to worry about securing individual virtual machines, as the Bastion service handles security concerns.

In contrast, traditional RDP connectivity can leave your virtual machines vulnerable to exposure and external threats. Without proper configuration, RDP connections can be exploited by attackers, compromising your network's security.

Azure Bastion is a secure remote access solution designed specifically for Azure virtual machines. By using this service, you can eliminate the need for public IP addresses on your resources, reducing the attack surface of your network.

In conclusion, Azure Bastion offers a more secure and simplified alternative to traditional RDP connectivity. Its ability to support vNet peerings, native clients, and encrypted traffic transmission make it an attractive solution for organizations seeking to enhance their remote access security.

If you're interested in getting started with Azure Bastion, follow these steps:

1. Register your subscription for the preview using the following PowerShell commands:

```

Get-AzureRmProviderFeature -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.Network

```

2. Deploy a new Windows 10 machine with a clean installation and open PowerShell ISE as an administrator.

3. Run the commands in order to register for the preview and connect your subscription.

By following these steps, you'll be able to create your first Azure Bastion host and experience the enhanced security benefits it provides. Remember that each virtual network requires its own bastion host, so be sure to deploy Azure Bastion accordingly.

Azure bastion vs rdp