Introduction
Operating a virtual server in Azure with law firm SQL on it
Databases offer, compared to classic on-premises, ASP or
Data center solutions offer a whole range of strategic and technical advantages –
especially in the context of Microsoft 365, Fabric and secure access without
public IP. Here are the key points:
1. Native Azure integration – no media disruption to M365, Fabric & Power
Platform
• Azure SQL and VMs can be integrated natively into Microsoft 365, Power BI, Power Automate
and integrate Microsoft Fabric in the future – without having to use external gateways or
public IPs.
• Data access (e.g. with Power BI Direct Query or data marts in Fabric) is
Can be implemented directly via Azure Private Link, VNet and Managed Identity.
• No external on-premises data gateway required, as is the case with classic
ASPs would be necessary.
2. Private networks & security concepts
• Azure offers virtual networks (VNets), private endpoints and bastion hosts,
to enable secure access to the SQL databases – without a
public IP.
• For example, a Power BI service or Fabric workspace can be accessed directly via a
Private link to access the SQL database.
• Hosting with a third party provider (classic ASP) usually requires a
external access via VPN, RDP or public gateways.
3. Central identity & rights management via Entra ID (Azure AD)
• Services hosted in Azure can be seamlessly connected to Entra ID (Azure AD)
become.
• Access control for SQL databases, file shares or admin access are
Can be implemented via Conditional Access, MFA, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).
• In classic ASP environments, this often only works via your own
User management or complicated Azure AD federation models.
4. Future-proof data architecture for Fabric & Co.
• Fabric will provide direct data pipelines to Azure SQL, Azure Data Lake, Blob
Storage and Dataverse enable.
• If the Addison database is located on an Azure VM, it can be directly integrated into a
Fabric Lakehouse architecture – for example for AI-supported
Evaluations, automation or data flows.
• In classic ASP models, additional interfaces or
ETL routes with unsafe handover points are developed.
5. Monitoring, scaling, and maintenance using Azure tools
• Azure allows central monitoring (Log Analytics, Defender for Cloud), backup
Routines, snapshot restores and auto-scaling.
• Updates and maintenance can be implemented automatically and traceably
– ideal for client or multi-firm setups with high
Degree of automation.
6. Simplified architecture for Zero Trust and GDPR
• By avoiding public IPs and using internal Microsoft
Zero-trust security can be better implemented in services.
• Azure is also better from the perspective of GDPR and compliance with instructions
controllable as a non-standard third party with limited
Level of transparency.
Conclusion
If you want to work with M365, Power Platform or Fabric – what will happen in the future
will be mandatory - Azure VM hosting of the Addison SQL database is the
clearly superior to the classic ASP model – in terms of security, efficiency,
Future viability and depth of integration. This is particularly relevant in scenarios such as:
• Automated reporting with Power BI/Fabric
• Automated data pipelines from Addison
• Use of Azure Data Lake and Copilot for data analysis
• Access via Azure AD without VPN or public IP
• 4. Future-proof data architecture for Fabric & Co.
We set up Azure Server for your law firm's server with our partner L1 Datenschutz GmbH. Feel free to contact us.
Resources:
https://l1-datenschutz.de
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