The answer is to add an exception to the organization policy for the project. Organization policies in Google Cloud are hierarchical, meaning they can be applied at the organization, folder, or project level, and they support granular exceptions using the `allowedValues` or `deniedValues` list within the policy constraint. By creating a policy exception specifically for the bastion host’s project, you override the blanket denial of external IPs without weakening the broader security posture. On the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of policy inheritance and the `constraints/compute.vmExternalIpAccess` constraint, a common trap being to suggest disabling the policy entirely or using a different service like Cloud NAT, which doesn’t provide a public IP for direct SSH access. Remember the memory tip: “Policy exceptions are project-specific, not global—think ‘bastion exception, not blanket rejection.’”
PCSE Practice Question: Configuring access within a cloud solution environment
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of configuring access within a cloud solution environment. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
A company uses Organization Policies to restrict public IP addresses on Compute Engine instances. An engineer created a new project and cannot launch any instances because the organization policy denies external IPs. However, the engineer needs to launch a bastion host with an external IP. What should they do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add an exception to the organization policy for the project.
Option A is correct because organization policies can have exceptions per project. Option B is a workaround but not the direct fix. Option C avoids external IP, which may not meet requirements. Option D is too drastic.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Request that the organization policy be removed at the org level.
Why it's wrong here
Removing the policy globally would affect all projects, which is likely not desirable.
✗
Use a VM with a NAT gateway instead.
Why it's wrong here
This does not solve the need for an external IP on the bastion.
✓
Add an exception to the organization policy for the project.
Why this is correct
Organization policies can be overridden at a lower level by adding an exception.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Create a new folder with a different policy and move the project.
Why it's wrong here
This is unnecessarily complex; the exception can be applied directly to the project.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PCSE NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Configuring access within a cloud solution environment — This question tests Configuring access within a cloud solution environment — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add an exception to the organization policy for the project. — Option A is correct because organization policies can have exceptions per project. Option B is a workaround but not the direct fix. Option C avoids external IP, which may not meet requirements. Option D is too drastic.
What should I do if I get this PCSE question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PCSE NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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