SQL Azure: Cloud Database Security
There is a division of responsibility when your SQL database is running in the cloud. Your service provider secures the physical components, facilities and network, but data security ultimately rests with you.
You’ll use some of the same methods to protect a SQL Azure cloud database installation as you do for SQL Server, but there are important differences when you move from a physical to logical environment.
In this article, we look at the various features and techniques available to help you secure your SQL Azure installation, including methods of access control, authentication and encryption.
SQL Azure has two types of access control: SQL Authentication and a server-side firewall that restricts access by IP address. Along with access control SQL Azure always maintains a secure connection to your database via SQL Server’s protocol encryption.
This document provides an overview of security guidelines for customers connecting to SQL Azure Database, and building secure applications on SQL Azure.
More Azure Security on TechNet Wiki:
Similar to an instance of SQL Server on your premises, SQL Azure exposes a tabular data stream (TDS) interface for Transact-SQL-based database access. This allows your database applications to use SQL Azure in the same way that they use SQL Server. Since SQL Azure is a service, administration in SQL Azure is slightly different.
In this video, Max Adams demonstrates the creation of logins, databases and users. The views sys.sql_logins and sys.databases which allow the display of logins and databases from the master database are also discussed.
You can run an Extra Small Windows Azure instance with a 1GB SQL Azure database for free for the first 90 days of your trial.