Understanding the Top 3 Best Practices for Power BI Data Exposed in the Cloud
Introduction
Power BI is an increasingly popular business intelligence (BI) solution from Microsoft that allows users to gain insights from their data. However, when deploying Power BI to the cloud, there are certain best practices that should be followed to ensure the security of data exposed in the cloud. In this blog, we’ll explore the top 3 best practices for Power BI data exposed in the cloud.
1. Use Appropriate Authentication and Authorization
Authentication and authorization are the two most important security controls for Power BI data exposed in the cloud. Authentication ensures that only authorized users can access the data, while authorization ensures that they have the appropriate permissions to view and interact with the data.
When it comes to authentication, the most secure option is to use Azure Active Directory (AD). Azure AD is a cloud-based authentication service that provides single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA). SSO allows users to sign in to Power BI with their existing Azure AD credentials, while MFA provides an additional layer of security by requiring users to provide additional authentication factors, such as a one-time password sent to their mobile device.
For authorization, Power BI supports row-level security (RLS). RLS allows you to control which users can view and interact with specific rows of data. For example, you can use RLS to ensure that only certain users can view sensitive data.
2. Monitor Data Access and Usage
Once you have appropriate authentication and authorization controls in place, you should monitor data access and usage. Monitoring data access and usage allows you to identify any unauthorized access attempts or suspicious activity.
Power BI includes a suite of tools to help you monitor data access and usage, such as the Activity Log and Audit Log. The Activity Log provides visibility into who is accessing your data, what they are doing with it, and when they are doing it. The Audit Log provides an audit trail of all the changes that have been made to your data.
3. Implement Data Encryption
Data encryption is another important security control for Power BI data exposed in the cloud. Data encryption scrambles data at rest and in transit to protect it from unauthorized access.
Power BI supports two types of encryption: server-side encryption and client-side encryption. Server-side encryption encrypts data at rest in the server, while client-side encryption encrypts data in transit between the client and the server.
Conclusion
The top 3 best practices for Power BI data exposed in the cloud are to use appropriate authentication and authorization, monitor data access and usage, and implement data encryption. By following these best practices, you can ensure the security of your data in the cloud and protect it from unauthorized access.
Power BI is a powerful business intelligence solution, and by following these best practices, you can ensure that your data remains secure and protected.
References:
Top 3 Best Practices for Power BI | Data Exposed
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1. Power BI Best Practices
2. Power BI Data Visualization
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