What is the recommended approach for handling sensitive information in your applications when using Azure services?

Using secure storage solutions like Azure Key Vault is the recommended approach for handling sensitive information in your applications when utilizing Azure services. Azure Key Vault provides a secure environment to store keys, secrets, and certificates. It ensures that sensitive data is kept safe and access controls are enforced, allowing only authorized users and applications to retrieve sensitive information when needed.

Azure Key Vault helps manage the risks associated with sensitive data by providing features such as access policies, logging, and auditing capabilities. This reduces the chances of data being compromised while also simplifying the management of sensitive information. By leveraging this service, developers can focus on building applications without the need to worry extensively about the underlying management of sensitive data.

In contrast, storing sensitive information in plain text would expose it to unauthorized access, making it highly insecure. Encrypting locally on the device is also not recommended as it relies on the security of the device itself, which may not be guaranteed. Sending data through unencrypted channels is a significant security risk, as it makes the information vulnerable to interception during transmission. Overall, using Azure Key Vault aligns with best practices for security and data management in cloud solutions.