- A
Just-in-time (JIT) VM access (Microsoft Defender for Cloud)
Why wrong: Just-in-time VM access reduces the attack surface by temporarily opening ports to specific IP addresses, but it requires the VMs to have public IP addresses and does not provide a direct RDP/SSH session from the Azure portal without a public IP.
- B
Azure Bastion
Azure Bastion is a fully managed PaaS service that provides secure RDP and SSH access to virtual machines directly from the Azure portal. It uses SSL and is deployed inside the virtual network, so VMs do not need public IPs, and the service protects against port scanning and brute-force attacks.
- C
Azure Firewall
Why wrong: Azure Firewall is a managed, cloud-based network security service that protects Azure Virtual Network resources by filtering inbound and outbound traffic. It does not provide RDP/SSH connectivity to virtual machines from the Azure portal.
- D
Azure VPN Gateway
Why wrong: Azure VPN Gateway is used to create site-to-site or point-to-site VPN connections to an Azure virtual network. While administrators can connect to a VNet via VPN and then RDP/SSH to VMs, this requires the VMs to have private IPs accessible after VPN connection. It does not provide a direct portal-based RDP/SSH session with built-in protection against port scanning, and it typically involves additional configuration and client software.
AZ-900 Describe Azure architecture and services Practice Question
This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure architecture and 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.
A company has deployed several Windows and Linux virtual machines in an Azure virtual network. For security reasons, the virtual machines have no public IP addresses assigned. The IT administrators need to securely connect to these VMs using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for Windows and Secure Shell (SSH) for Linux without deploying any additional agents on the VMs. The connection must be established directly from the Azure portal, and the service must provide protection against port scanning and brute-force attacks. Which Azure service should the company use?
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
Azure Bastion
Azure Bastion is the correct choice because it provides secure, seamless RDP and SSH connectivity to virtual machines directly from the Azure portal over TLS, without requiring any public IP addresses on the VMs or additional agent installations. It uses a hardened bastion host inside the virtual network, and by default it protects against port scanning and brute-force attacks by not exposing the VMs' RDP/SSH ports to the internet.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding 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.
- ✗
Just-in-time (JIT) VM access (Microsoft Defender for Cloud)
- ✓
Azure Bastion
Why this is correct
Azure Bastion is a fully managed PaaS service that provides secure RDP and SSH access to virtual machines directly from the Azure portal. It uses SSL and is deployed inside the virtual network, so VMs do not need public IPs, and the service protects against port scanning and brute-force attacks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Firewall
- ✗
Azure VPN Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Azure VPN Gateway is used to create site-to-site or point-to-site VPN connections to an Azure virtual network. While administrators can connect to a VNet via VPN and then RDP/SSH to VMs, this requires the VMs to have private IPs accessible after VPN connection. It does not provide a direct portal-based RDP/SSH session with built-in protection against port scanning, and it typically involves additional configuration and client software.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Just-in-time VM access with Bastion, but JIT still requires public IP exposure and does not provide a portal-based connection, whereas Bastion eliminates public endpoints entirely and offers native portal access.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Bastion provisions a fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) bastion host in the same virtual network as the target VMs, using a dedicated subnet called AzureBastionSubnet. When a user connects via the Azure portal, Bastion establishes a TLS tunnel over HTTPS (port 443) to the bastion host, which then proxies the RDP (port 3389) or SSH (port 22) session to the private IP of the target VM, ensuring the VM's ports are never exposed to the internet. This architecture inherently prevents port scanning and brute-force attacks because the VM's management ports are only accessible from the bastion host within the virtual network.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 question test?
Describe Azure architecture and services — This question tests Describe Azure architecture and services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Bastion — Azure Bastion is the correct choice because it provides secure, seamless RDP and SSH connectivity to virtual machines directly from the Azure portal over TLS, without requiring any public IP addresses on the VMs or additional agent installations. It uses a hardened bastion host inside the virtual network, and by default it protects against port scanning and brute-force attacks by not exposing the VMs' RDP/SSH ports to the internet.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-900 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-900 exam.
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