Choosing to configure Azure Bastion as a means of secure remote access for administrators to virtual machines is a sound strategy. Azure Bastion provides a fully managed service that allows secure and seamless RDP and SSH access to virtual machines directly through the Azure portal. This eliminates the need to expose the virtual machines to the public internet, significantly enhancing security by reducing the attack surface.
By using Azure Bastion, administrators can connect to their virtual machines using their web browser without requiring a public IP address on the virtual machines. This service integrates directly with the Azure Virtual Network, ensuring that communication is secure and private, as it leverages the Azure backbone network. Thus, it inherently prevents many common vulnerabilities associated with direct Remote Desktop access, such as port scanning and brute-force attacks.
In contrast, enabling Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) introduces risks if not properly secured, as exposing RDP directly over the internet can make systems vulnerable to attacks. Just Enough Administration (JEA) is an important configuration for limiting administrative privileges on a system but does not provide a remote access mechanism on its own. Lastly, allowing public IP connections creates additional risks by potentially exposing the virtual machines to unauthorized access, making the environment less secure.
Therefore, utilizing Azure Bastion is a definitive