Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer AssociatePlan and manage an Azure AI solutionMedium
A public safety agency is developing an Azure AI solution to analyze emergency call transcripts for critical keywords and sentiment. The solution uses Azure Cognitive Services for Text Analytics and Speech-to-Text. Due to strict compliance requirements, the agency needs to ensure that all service access is authenticated using Azure Active Directory (AAD) and that no shared keys are used directly in application code. Which authentication method should they implement?
- AManaged Identities for Azure resources.
- BBasic authentication with username and password.
- CAPI Key authentication.
- DShared Access Signatures (SAS).
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Managed Identities for Azure resources.
Managed Identities for Azure resources provide an Azure Active Directory identity for Azure services, eliminating the need to manage credentials in code. This allows for secure, AAD-based authentication to Azure Cognitive Services without using shared keys, aligning with compliance requirements.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Basic authentication is generally not recommended for Azure services due to security concerns and is not AAD-based in the context of Cognitive Services.
- C. API Key authentication uses shared keys, which is explicitly against the requirement of not using shared keys directly in application code.
- D. Shared Access Signatures (SAS) grant limited access to Azure storage resources, not the primary method for authenticating Azure Cognitive Services directly from an Azure application without shared keys.
Managed Identities for Azure AI
Managed Identities provide an Azure Active Directory identity for Azure resources, allowing them to authenticate to AAD-protected services without developers managing credentials.
- Eliminates the need to store credentials in code or configuration files.
- Leverages Azure Active Directory for authentication.
- Enhances security and simplifies credential management.
Memory trick: Managed Identity maps AI to AAD, no shared keys.