Quick Answer
The answer is Dedicated Interconnect and Partner Interconnect. Both services establish a direct, private physical connection between your on-premises data center and a Google Cloud VPC, ensuring all traffic bypasses the public internet entirely for secure hybrid cloud connectivity. Dedicated Interconnect provides a direct physical link managed by you, while Partner Interconnect uses a supported service provider to extend that private path, both offering low latency and high bandwidth. On the Google Professional Cloud Network Engineer exam, this question tests your understanding of private connectivity options versus VPN-based solutions, which still traverse the public internet even if encrypted. A common trap is confusing Cloud VPN with these interconnects, so remember that if the requirement is to avoid the public internet entirely, VPN is not the answer. Memory tip: “Dedicated and Partner are the private pair; VPN still shares the public air.”
This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of configuring network services. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which TWO network services can be used to provide secure connectivity between a VPC and an on-premises data center without traversing the public internet? (Choose two.)
Cloud VPN with IPsec
Why wrong: IPsec VPN uses the public internet.
Cloud NAT
Why wrong: NAT is not for connectivity.
Dedicated Interconnect
Interconnect provides direct private connection.
VPC Network Peering
Why wrong: Peering is for VPC-to-VPC.
Partner Interconnect
Partner Interconnect also provides private connectivity via a service provider.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Dedicated Interconnect
Dedicated Interconnect (C) provides a direct, private physical connection between your on-premises network and Google's VPC, bypassing the public internet entirely. This ensures low latency, high bandwidth, and consistent network performance for secure hybrid cloud connectivity.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Cloud VPN with IPsec
Cloud NAT
Why it's wrong here
NAT is not for connectivity.
Dedicated Interconnect
Why this is correct
Interconnect provides direct private connection.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
VPC Network Peering
Why it's wrong here
Peering is for VPC-to-VPC.
Partner Interconnect
Why this is correct
Partner Interconnect also provides private connectivity via a service provider.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between 'secure connectivity' and 'private connectivity' — candidates mistakenly choose Cloud VPN (IPsec) because it is encrypted, but the question explicitly requires no traversal of the public internet, which only Dedicated or Partner Interconnect can guarantee.
Detailed technical explanation
Dedicated Interconnect uses a cross-connect in a colocation facility to attach your on-premises router directly to a Google Cloud edge router via a VLAN attachment. This setup supports speeds from 10 Gbps to 200 Gbps per connection and uses BGP for dynamic routing, ensuring redundancy when multiple connections are configured. In contrast, Partner Interconnect (E) achieves the same private connectivity but relies on a supported service provider to manage the physical link, making it suitable for locations where direct colocation is unavailable.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
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FAQ
Configuring network services — This question tests Configuring network services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Dedicated Interconnect — Dedicated Interconnect (C) provides a direct, private physical connection between your on-premises network and Google's VPC, bypassing the public internet entirely. This ensures low latency, high bandwidth, and consistent network performance for secure hybrid cloud connectivity.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This PCNE 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 PCNE exam.
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