Google PCA Manage and provision cloud infrastructure Practice Question
Which TWO options are valid ways to connect an on-premises network to a VPC in Google Cloud? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between services that provide connectivity to a VPC (like VPN and Interconnect) versus services that only enable outbound internet access or internal VPC-to-VPC peering, leading candidates to mistakenly select Cloud NAT or VPC Network Peering.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Cloud VPN.
Cloud VPN is a valid way to connect an on-premises network to a VPC in Google Cloud. It uses IPsec (IKEv1 or IKEv2) to create an encrypted tunnel over the public internet between your on-premises VPN gateway and a Cloud VPN gateway in your VPC. This allows secure communication between your on-premises resources and your VPC subnets, making it a standard hybrid connectivity option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Cloud VPN.
Why this is correct
Cloud VPN provides IPsec tunnels to on-premises.
- ✓
Dedicated Interconnect.
Why this is correct
Provides direct physical connection from on-premises.
- ✗
Cloud NAT.
Why it's wrong here
Provides outbound internet to instances without external IPs.
- ✗
VPC Network Peering.
Why it's wrong here
Used for connecting VPCs within Google Cloud.
- ✗
Private Google Access.
Why it's wrong here
Allows on-premises hosts to access Google APIs via VPN, but not a direct network connection.
Visual reference
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Google Cloud Compute Options Overview
Key term
Cloud VPN
A Cloud VPN is a service that securely connects your private network to a cloud provider's network over the public internet using encryption and authentication.
Key term
VPC
A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a logically isolated section of a cloud provider's network where you can launch and manage resources like servers and databases with complete control over IP addressing, subnets, route tables, and security.
About these practice questions
One of 807 original PCA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCA practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCA exam.