AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
A storage account must be reachable only from Azure VMs in a single subnet. Public network access should not be used, and the team wants the storage service to keep using a private IP address inside the virtual network. Which feature should the administrator configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse a service endpoint (which only provides source IP preservation and route optimization but leaves the public endpoint exposed) with a private endpoint (which truly removes public access by assigning a private IP).
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
✓
A private endpoint for the storage account in the subnet.
A private endpoint assigns the storage account a private IP address from the subnet's address space, using Azure Private Link to route traffic entirely over the Microsoft backbone network. This ensures the storage account is reachable only from VMs in that subnet and blocks all public internet access, meeting both requirements.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A service endpoint on the subnet, because it creates a private IP address for the storage account.
Why it's wrong here
A service endpoint on a subnet adds the subnet to the storage account's firewall rules and routes traffic to the Azure service over the Microsoft backbone, but it does not assign a private IP address to the storage account. The storage account continues to use its public IP address and public DNS name; the service endpoint only filters which source subnets can reach that public endpoint. Creating a private IP inside the VNet for the storage account is precisely what a private endpoint does, so describing a service endpoint as creating a private IP is factually incorrect.
When this WOULD be correct
A service endpoint would be correct if the requirement is to restrict access to the storage account from a specific subnet while still using the public endpoint, and private IP addressing is not required.
- ✓
A private endpoint for the storage account in the subnet.
Why this is correct
A private endpoint places the storage service on a private IP address inside the VNet, which matches the requirement to avoid public network access. It is the correct choice when the service should be reachable only through a private address.
- ✗
A shared access signature that is limited to the subnet.
Why it's wrong here
A shared access signature (SAS) is a delegated authorization token that grants scoped access to blobs, queues, tables, or files via the storage account's public endpoint. Even if you add an IP restriction to the SAS allowing only the subnet's address range, the token cannot reroute traffic onto a private IP or remove the storage account's public reachability; it only limits which client IPs may present the token. The requirement is to make the storage account reachable only from Azure VMs over a private network path, which SAS cannot enforce because it never changes the endpoint or network topology.
When this WOULD be correct
When the requirement is to grant time-limited, delegated access to a specific storage resource (e.g., a blob or file) for a client outside Azure, without exposing the storage account keys. For example, allowing a third-party application to read a file for 24 hours.
- ✗
Storage account access keys, because they bind access to one subnet automatically.
Why it's wrong here
Storage account access keys are shared secret keys used to authorize requests by signing them with HMAC-SHA256; they carry no information about virtual networks or subnets. They do not 'bind' access to any subnet—a request signed with the key succeeds from anywhere on the internet unless separate network rules deny it, and access keys also cannot give the storage account a private IP address. Therefore, relying on access keys to meet the 'reachable only from Azure VMs' requirement is false; keys are an authentication mechanism, not a network access control.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asking how to securely share storage account access with a team member without using Azure AD, where the requirement is to provide full access to the storage account (not network-restricted), and the solution must involve regenerating keys periodically.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓A private endpoint for the storage account in the subnet.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
A private endpoint places the storage service on a private IP address inside the VNet, which matches the requirement to avoid public network access. It is the correct choice when the service should be reachable only through a private address.
✗A service endpoint on the subnet, because it creates a private IP address for the storage account.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Service endpoints do not assign a private IP address to the storage account; they provide direct connectivity from the subnet to the storage service over the Azure backbone, but the storage account still uses a public endpoint.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A service endpoint would be correct if the requirement is to restrict access to the storage account from a specific subnet while still using the public endpoint, and private IP addressing is not required.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse service endpoints with private endpoints, thinking both provide private IP addresses, but only private endpoints assign a private IP from the subnet.
✗A shared access signature that is limited to the subnet.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A shared access signature (SAS) provides delegated access to storage resources, but it does not restrict network access to a specific subnet; it controls access via tokens, not network boundaries.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the requirement is to grant time-limited, delegated access to a specific storage resource (e.g., a blob or file) for a client outside Azure, without exposing the storage account keys. For example, allowing a third-party application to read a file for 24 hours.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think a SAS can be scoped to a subnet because it can include IP address restrictions, but those restrictions are for client IPs, not subnet-level network isolation.
✗Storage account access keys, because they bind access to one subnet automatically.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Storage account access keys do not restrict access to a specific subnet; they provide full administrative access to the storage account from any network location if the keys are known.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asking how to securely share storage account access with a team member without using Azure AD, where the requirement is to provide full access to the storage account (not network-restricted), and the solution must involve regenerating keys periodically.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly believe that access keys inherently bind access to a specific subnet, confusing key-based authentication with network-level restrictions.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Visual reference
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managed Identities for Azure Resources
Key term
Storage account
A cloud storage account is a container that holds a set of cloud storage services and their data, providing a unique namespace and access policies for storing and managing unstructured data.
Key term
IP address
An IP address is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.
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Same concept, more angles
4 more ways this is tested on AZ-104
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A storage account must be reachable only from resources in one Azure subnet, and public network access should not be used. Which configuration best meets this requirement?
easy- A.Enable blob versioning on the storage account
- ✓ B.Create a private endpoint for the storage account in the subnet
- C.Assign a ReadOnly lock to the storage account
- D.Enable a shared access signature
Why B: A private endpoint assigns the storage account a private IP address from the specified Azure subnet, effectively bringing the storage account into the virtual network. This ensures that all traffic to the storage account stays within the Microsoft Azure backbone network and never traverses the public internet, meeting the requirement to restrict access exclusively to resources in that subnet while disabling public network access.
Variation 2. A team wants an Azure Storage account to be reachable only from one subnet, but they do not want to use a private endpoint. Which two configurations should they use? Select two.
easy- ✓ A.Enable a Microsoft.Storage service endpoint on the subnet so the subnet can reach the storage service privately over the Azure backbone.
- ✓ B.Add the subnet to the storage account's networking rules so only that subnet is allowed through the storage firewall.
- C.Create a private endpoint and leave the firewall open to all networks so the subnet can be filtered later.
- D.Assign Contributor on the storage account to the subnet, because Azure roles control which networks can connect.
- E.Disable the public endpoint and rely on Internet routing, because that is the only way to limit access to one subnet.
Why A: Enabling a Microsoft.Storage service endpoint on the subnet extends the virtual network identity to the storage service, allowing traffic from that subnet to reach the storage account over the Azure backbone network without using a public IP. This ensures private connectivity from the subnet to the storage account while keeping the storage account's public endpoint enabled but restricted.
Variation 3. A team wants an Azure Storage account to be reachable only from a single Azure virtual network and to use a private IP address inside that network. Which option should the administrator configure?
easy- A.A service endpoint on the subnet.
- ✓ B.A private endpoint for the storage account.
- C.A public IP address with an NSG inbound allow rule.
- D.A VPN gateway connection to the storage account.
Why B: A private endpoint assigns a private IP address from the virtual network to the storage account, making it reachable only from that VNet over the Microsoft backbone network. This meets the requirement of exclusive access and private IP usage, unlike a service endpoint which still exposes the storage account to the public internet via its public endpoint.
Variation 4. A team wants to restrict a storage account so only one Azure subnet can reach it. They do not need a private IP address, and they are fine with the storage account still using its public endpoint. Which configuration should the administrator use?
medium- A.Create a private endpoint and disable public network access.
- ✓ B.Enable a service endpoint on the subnet and allow that subnet in the storage account firewall.
- C.Generate a user delegation SAS token and distribute it only to the subnet.
- D.Change the redundancy setting to ZRS and enable soft delete.
Why B: A service endpoint extends the virtual network identity to the storage account over the public endpoint, allowing the administrator to restrict access to only traffic originating from that specific subnet via the storage account firewall. This meets the requirement of using the public endpoint while limiting access to a single Azure subnet without needing a private IP address.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-104 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 AZ-104 exam.