Which components should you use to manage identities and access to data assets securely in Fabric?

• A. Local Windows accounts and shared passwords
• B. Azure Active Directory identities, groups, service principals for automation, and implement MFA and conditional access.
• C. Anonymous access tokens
• D. LDAP credentials without MFA

Answer: (B)

Centralized identity management in Azure Active Directory with defined identities, groups, and service principals for automation, combined with multi-factor authentication and conditional access, is the secure way to control who can access Fabric data assets and how.

Using Azure AD provides a single source of truth for users and services, and groups simplify granting access at scale through role-based access control. Service principals (or managed identities) allow automation and applications to authenticate safely without embedding credentials, which reduces the risk of credential leakage. Enforcing MFA adds a strong second factor, making stolen passwords far less useful, while conditional access enforces policies based on factors like user risk, device health, location, and the application being accessed, strengthening protection in real-world scenarios. Together, these elements enable robust auditing, access reviews, and governance across Fabric data assets.

Relying on local Windows accounts and shared passwords is insecure and unwieldy to manage at scale. Anonymous access tokens provide no reliable authentication or authorization, leading to uncontrolled access. LDAP credentials without MFA are outdated for cloud-native security and don’t leverage modern policy enforcement.