The answer is Azure AD Application Proxy, which enables secure remote access to on-premises apps without VPN by acting as a reverse proxy. This service publishes internal web applications through an external Azure endpoint, using an outbound-only connector installed on-premises that initiates connections to Azure AD, so no inbound firewall ports or VPN tunnels are needed. On the AZ-900 exam, this tests your understanding of how Azure identity services extend security to legacy apps without altering network perimeters—a common trap is confusing it with Azure VPN Gateway or Azure Bastion, which handle network-level access rather than application-level proxying. Remember the key distinction: Application Proxy is for app-specific remote access with Azure AD authentication, while VPNs open the entire network. A simple memory tip: think “Proxy for apps, VPN for networks.”
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.
Which Azure service enables accessing on-premises applications securely from anywhere without requiring VPN or changes to the network perimeter?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure AD Application Proxy
Azure AD Application Proxy enables secure remote access to on-premises web applications by publishing them through an external endpoint in Azure, without requiring a VPN or changes to the network perimeter. It works by establishing outbound connections from the on-premises Application Proxy connector to Azure AD, which then proxies user requests to the internal application, leveraging Azure AD for authentication and conditional access.
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.
Application Proxy provides secure remote access to on-premises web apps via Azure AD without VPN.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure Bastion
Why it's wrong here
Bastion provides VM RDP/SSH access; Application Proxy enables access to on-premises web applications.
✗
Azure Front Door
Why it's wrong here
Front Door provides global HTTPload balancing; Application Proxy enables secure access to internal on-premises apps.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure AD Application Proxy with Azure VPNGateway, assuming that any secure remote access to on-premises resources requires a VPN tunnel, but the key differentiator is that Application Proxy works at the application layer (Layer 7) without network-level changes, while VPN Gateway operates at the network layer (Layer 3) and requires perimeter modifications.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure AD Application Proxy uses a connector service installed on-premises that initiates outbound HTTPS (TCP/443) connections to Azure AD, eliminating the need for inbound firewall rules. The proxy supports pre-authentication via Azure AD, allowing integration with conditional access policies, multi-factor authentication, and single sign-on (SSO) using Kerberos constrained delegation (KCD) for Windows-integrated authentication. In a real-world scenario, an organization can publish an internal SharePoint site without exposing it to the internet, relying on Azure AD for identity verification and the connector for secure tunneling.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-900 question in full detail.
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 AD Application Proxy — Azure AD Application Proxy enables secure remote access to on-premises web applications by publishing them through an external endpoint in Azure, without requiring a VPN or changes to the network perimeter. It works by establishing outbound connections from the on-premises Application Proxy connector to Azure AD, which then proxies user requests to the internal application, leveraging Azure AD for authentication and conditional access.
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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Question Discussion
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