diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index adbf848c3ed..43c7d2eb1bb 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ python:
   - "3.5"
 install:
   - pip install azure==2.0.0a1
+  - pip install mock==1.3.0
 script: 
   - export PYTHONPATH=$PATHONPATH:./src
   - python -m unittest discover -s src/azure/cli/tests
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/azure-cli.pyproj b/azure-cli.pyproj
index 5c2690500bb..0fa304524fa 100644
--- a/azure-cli.pyproj
+++ b/azure-cli.pyproj
@@ -25,15 +25,23 @@
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\commands\account.py" />
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\commands\login.py" />
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\commands\logout.py" />
-    <Compile Include="azure\cli\commands\resourcegroup.py" />
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\commands\storage.py" />
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\commands\__init__.py" />
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\main.py" />
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\tests\test_argparse.py">
       <SubType>Code</SubType>
     </Compile>
+    <Compile Include="azure\cli\tests\test_connection_verify.py">
+      <SubType>Code</SubType>
+    </Compile>
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\tests\test_profile.py" />
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\_argparse.py" />
+    <Compile Include="azure\cli\commands\_command_creation.py">
+      <SubType>Code</SubType>
+    </Compile>
+    <Compile Include="azure\cli\_debug.py">
+      <SubType>Code</SubType>
+    </Compile>
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\_logging.py" />
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\_profile.py" />
     <Compile Include="azure\cli\_session.py">
diff --git a/src/azure/cli/_debug.py b/src/azure/cli/_debug.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..845ec253cd9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/azure/cli/_debug.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+import os  
+from ._logging import logger
+
+DISABLE_VERIFY_VARIABLE_NAME = "AZURE_CLI_DISABLE_CONNECTION_VERIFICATION"
+
+def allow_debug_connection(client):  
+    if should_disable_connection_verify():  
+        logger.warn("Connection verification disabled by environment variable %s", DISABLE_VERIFY_VARIABLE_NAME)
+        client.config.connection.verify = False
+  
+def should_disable_connection_verify():  
+    return bool(os.environ.get(DISABLE_VERIFY_VARIABLE_NAME))  
diff --git a/src/azure/cli/commands/_command_creation.py b/src/azure/cli/commands/_command_creation.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..daacf0aeb2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/azure/cli/commands/_command_creation.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+from .._profile import Profile
+import azure.cli._debug as _debug
+import azure.cli as cli
+
+def get_service_client(client_type, config_type):
+    profile = Profile()
+    client = client_type(config_type(*profile.get_login_credentials()))
+    _debug.allow_debug_connection(client)    
+    client.config.add_user_agent("AZURECLI_{}".format(cli.__version__))
+    return client
diff --git a/src/azure/cli/commands/login.py b/src/azure/cli/commands/login.py
index 92f7eadd690..09e30b57a51 100644
--- a/src/azure/cli/commands/login.py
+++ b/src/azure/cli/commands/login.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 from .._profile import Profile
 from ..commands import command, description, option
+from .._debug import should_disable_connection_verify
 
 CLIENT_ID = '04b07795-8ddb-461a-bbee-02f9e1bf7b46'
 
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ def login(args, unexpected):
         import getpass
         password = getpass.getpass(_('Password: '))
 
-    credentials = UserPassCredentials(username, password, client_id=CLIENT_ID)
+    credentials = UserPassCredentials(username, password, client_id=CLIENT_ID, verify=not should_disable_connection_verify())
     client = SubscriptionClient(SubscriptionClientConfiguration(credentials))
     subscriptions = client.subscriptions.list()
 
diff --git a/src/azure/cli/commands/storage.py b/src/azure/cli/commands/storage.py
index 92621938fb7..15fde8488db 100644
--- a/src/azure/cli/commands/storage.py
+++ b/src/azure/cli/commands/storage.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 from ..main import SESSION
 from ..commands import command, description, option
-from .._profile import Profile
+from ._command_creation import get_service_client
 
 @command('storage account list')
 @description(_('List storage accounts'))
@@ -13,10 +13,7 @@ def list_accounts(args, unexpected):
     from azure.mgmt.storage.models import StorageAccount
     from msrestazure.azure_active_directory import UserPassCredentials
 
-    profile = Profile()
-    smc = StorageManagementClient(StorageManagementClientConfiguration(
-        *profile.get_login_credentials()
-    ))
+    smc = get_service_client(StorageManagementClient, StorageManagementClientConfiguration)
 
     group = args.get('resource-group')
     if group:
@@ -32,7 +29,7 @@ def list_accounts(args, unexpected):
 def checkname(args, unexpected):
     from azure.mgmt.storage import StorageManagementClient, StorageManagementClientConfiguration
     
-    smc = StorageManagementClient(StorageManagementClientConfiguration())
+    smc = get_service_client(StorageManagementClient, StorageManagementClientConfiguration)
     logger.warn(smc.storage_accounts.check_name_availability(args.account_name))
     
     
diff --git a/src/azure/cli/tests/test_connection_verify.py b/src/azure/cli/tests/test_connection_verify.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7a6b1c6613b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/azure/cli/tests/test_connection_verify.py
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import os
+import unittest
+try:
+    from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+except ImportError:
+    from mock import MagicMock
+
+from azure.cli._argparse import ArgumentParser, IncorrectUsageError
+from azure.cli._logging import logger
+import logging
+import azure.cli._debug as _debug
+
+
+class Test_argparse(unittest.TestCase):
+    @classmethod
+    def setUpClass(cls):
+        # Ensure initialization has occurred correctly
+        import azure.cli.main
+        logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def tearDownClass(cls):
+        logging.shutdown()
+
+    def test_verify_client_connection(self):
+        os.environ[_debug.DISABLE_VERIFY_VARIABLE_NAME] = ""
+        self.assertFalse(_debug.should_disable_connection_verify())
+
+        os.environ[_debug.DISABLE_VERIFY_VARIABLE_NAME] = "1"
+        self.assertTrue(_debug.should_disable_connection_verify())
+
+        clientMock = MagicMock()
+        clientMock.config.connection.verify = True
+        _debug.allow_debug_connection(clientMock)
+        self.assertFalse(clientMock.config.connection.verify)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()