AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
A team wants to allow a subnet to access a storage account only from that subnet, but they do not want to create a private endpoint or change DNS. The storage account should still be reachable through its public endpoint, just not from other networks. What should the administrator configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse service endpoints with private endpoints, assuming only private endpoints can restrict access to a storage account, or they mistakenly think NSG rules can control inbound access to PaaS services like storage accounts.
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 service endpoint on the subnet and a storage firewall rule allowing that subnet.
A service endpoint on the subnet extends the virtual network identity to the storage account, allowing the storage firewall to restrict access to traffic originating from that specific subnet. This ensures the storage account remains reachable via its public endpoint, but only from the configured subnet, without requiring a private endpoint or DNS changes.
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 private endpoint for the storage account and a private DNS zone.
Why it's wrong here
This changes access to a private IP and introduces DNS work that the team wants to avoid.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct in a scenario where the requirement is to ensure that the storage account is accessed privately and completely isolated from the public internet, with no need for public endpoint access, and DNS resolution must be handled privately.
- ✗
A public IP address for the subnet and a storage account firewall exception.
Why it's wrong here
Subnets do not use public IPs for access control in this scenario.
When this WOULD be correct
If the requirement were to allow access from a specific on-premises public IP address (e.g., a VPN gateway public IP) to a storage account, and the subnet had that public IP assigned via NAT, then adding that IP to the storage firewall rule would be correct.
- ✓
A service endpoint on the subnet and a storage firewall rule allowing that subnet.
Why this is correct
Service endpoints keep the public endpoint but restrict access based on the VNet or subnet identity.
- ✗
An NSG rule that permits outbound TCP 443 to the storage account.
Why it's wrong here
NSGs allow traffic but do not restrict storage access at the service boundary.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked how to allow a subnet to access a storage account while blocking all other outbound traffic from that subnet, configuring an NSG rule to permit outbound TCP 443 to the storage account's service tag would be correct.
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 service endpoint on the subnet and a storage firewall rule allowing that subnet.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Service endpoints keep the public endpoint but restrict access based on the VNet or subnet identity.
✗A private endpoint for the storage account and a private DNS zone.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The team explicitly does not want to create a private endpoint or change DNS, and the storage account should remain reachable via its public endpoint. Option A requires a private endpoint and private DNS zone, which contradicts these requirements.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct in a scenario where the requirement is to ensure that the storage account is accessed privately and completely isolated from the public internet, with no need for public endpoint access, and DNS resolution must be handled privately.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that private endpoints are the only way to restrict access to a storage account from a specific subnet, overlooking service endpoints as a simpler alternative that meets the stated constraints.
✗A public IP address for the subnet and a storage account firewall exception.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The storage account firewall can only filter by source IP address ranges, not by subnet or public IP address of a subnet. Configuring a public IP for the subnet does not enable the firewall to identify traffic from that subnet specifically.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the requirement were to allow access from a specific on-premises public IP address (e.g., a VPN gateway public IP) to a storage account, and the subnet had that public IP assigned via NAT, then adding that IP to the storage firewall rule would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that assigning a public IP to the subnet makes its traffic identifiable by the storage firewall, but the firewall sees only the source IP of each request, not the subnet's public IP unless traffic is NATed to that IP.
✗An NSG rule that permits outbound TCP 443 to the storage account.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
An NSG rule controls traffic within the virtual network but does not restrict access to the storage account's public endpoint from other networks; the storage account firewall must be configured to allow only specific subnets.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question asked how to allow a subnet to access a storage account while blocking all other outbound traffic from that subnet, configuring an NSG rule to permit outbound TCP 443 to the storage account's service tag would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think NSG rules are sufficient for access control and overlook the need for storage firewall configuration, confusing network-level filtering with service-level access 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
Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Key term
Subnet
A subnet is a logical subdivision of an IP network, created by partitioning a larger network address space using subnet masks.
Key term
DNS
DNS is the system that translates human-friendly domain names like example.com into machine-readable IP addresses so computers can find each other on a network.
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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.