Welcome to Microsoft Dynamics AX Security 2012, where I will take you on a journey that starts with the big changes happening in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and ends with the practical steps that are needed to make the necessary security setup, illustrated with snapshots and figures, that will guide you through the ERP implementation process.
Before going into the security architecture, we have to be aware of security concepts or know the security terms that we should consider while implementing the security on Microsoft Dynamics AX. We will focus on the three main concepts of security:
- Attack surface: If you are always worried about your data or your code being stolen, destroyed, or damaged by an unauthorized user, you have to perform the necessary procedures and follow certain policies to secure your data against attack surface.
By disabling ports and services you can reduce the risk of an attack from the Internet and network, or limit access to computer resources by enabling hardware and software security features.
- Defence in depth: Defence in depth means building a lot of security defences that limit unauthorized users accessing your data. For example, we can build a lot of firewalls to make it harder to attack for a malicious user. It is also recommended to physically secure your server in such a way that one cannot enter the server room without a special ID. You can also use CCTV cameras to record what is happening in the server room.
Obtain Internet access for users through the firewall to avoid bad requests to the client computer. Also install antivirus software on your local machines to reduce the chances of being attacked by viruses.
- Least privileges: Can you just give the users the privileges that enable them to do only their job? You just want the users to do their entire processes and tasks with few privileges, without giving them access to the other operations and information they do not require.
You must be aware of these concepts in order to secure your data from being hacked, corrupted, or damaged.
In addition to system security, professionals and system consultants need to pay attention to enforcing best practices for securing business operations such as implementing proper role-based clients and limited access to trade agreements.
Let's go through the security architecture in the Microsoft Dynamics AX product. The security architecture in the Microsoft Dynamics AX product consists of the infrastructure security and application security.
- Infrastructure security—the Microsoft Dynamics AX infrastructure is built on the following features:
- Active Directory services
- Integrated windows authentication
- Computer networking
- Secured servers machine
- Application security—application security has the same features as those listed for Infrastructure Security and includes the following additional features:
- Active Directory users added to Microsoft Dynamics AX and granted permissions to use the application
- Domains that are groups of the company accounts in Dynamics AX
- Record-level security to restrict or permit users to access specific fields and tables
- Security keys that allow users to access specific forms, reports, or menus
We saw the security architecture in Microsoft Dynamics Products and now we are going to see the Application Security fundamentals in Microsoft Dynamics AX.