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Azure Key Vault Transition to RBAC: What You Must Do Before February 2027

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Azure Key Vault Is Moving to RBAC – Are You Ready?

Microsoft has announced a major security change affecting Azure Key Vault users. If you rely on Azure Key Vault for secrets, keys, or certificates, action is required well before 27 February 2027 to avoid service disruption.

All Azure Key Vault API versions earlier than 2026-02-01 will be retired on that date. The upcoming 2026-02-01 API, releasing in February 2026, introduces a critical change: Azure role-based access control (RBAC) becomes the default access model for new vaults.

This shift is designed to improve security, consistency, and governance across Azure environments.

What Is Changing?

Under the new API version:

  • Azure RBAC will be the default access model for new Key Vaults
  • Existing vaults will continue using their current access configuration
  • The Azure Portal experience will remain unchanged
  • Legacy access policies will no longer be assumed by default

If your applications, scripts, or infrastructure templates rely on legacy access policies, you may encounter HTTP 403 permission errors unless changes are made.

Why Azure RBAC Matters

Azure RBAC provides:

  • Centralised identity and access management
  • Fine-grained permissions using Azure Active Directory
  • Better auditing and compliance
  • Consistent security across cloud services

This aligns Key Vault security with the rest of the Microsoft Azure ecosystem, reducing the risk of misconfiguration in production environments.

Required Action Before February 2027

To avoid outages or failed deployments, Microsoft strongly recommends one of the following actions:

Option 1: Migrate all Key Vaults to Azure RBAC

This is the preferred and future-proof approach.

Option 2: Explicitly configure legacy access policies

If you must continue using access policies, you must specify them in:

  • Azure CLI
  • PowerShell
  • REST API
  • ARM templates
  • Bicep
  • Terraform

If you do not explicitly configure this, new vaults will default to RBAC, which can break existing automation.

Common Risks If You Delay

  • Application authentication failures
  • CI/CD pipeline errors
  • Production outages due to missing roles
  • Security gaps caused by misconfigured permissions

This is especially risky for businesses running enterprise workloads, DevOps pipelines, or regulated systems.

How DigitalBerg Helps

At DigitalBerg, we help organisations prepare for platform-level changes like this by designing secure, Azure-ready infrastructure that scales with future updates.

Our servers and cloud solutions are optimised for:

  • Azure-integrated workloads
  • Secure key management
  • Enterprise DevOps pipelines
  • Hybrid and multi-cloud environments

Learn more about our infrastructure services here:

DigitalBerg Servers: https://digitalberg.com

Final Thoughts

The transition to Azure RBAC is mandatory — a security evolution. Planning early gives you time to test, migrate, and secure your environment without pressure.

If you manage Azure infrastructure today, now is the right time to review your Key Vault strategy.

Useful Resources

Microsoft Azure Key Vault documentation

Microsoft Q&A community support

Azure RBAC best practices

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