DP-203 Practice Question: Secure, monitor, and optimize data storage and data processing
You have an Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 account that contains sensitive data. You need to ensure that data is encrypted at rest and that you control the encryption keys. You also need to be able to audit key usage. What should you implement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse Azure Disk Encryption with Storage Service Encryption. Azure Disk Encryption encrypts VM disks, not storage accounts, and does not provide the required control over keys for Data Lake Storage Gen2.
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
✓
Customer-managed keys (CMK) in Azure Key Vault for Azure Storage encryption.
Customer-managed keys in Azure Key Vault allow you to encrypt an Azure Storage account with your own keys, providing control over key lifecycle and enabling auditing via Key Vault logs. This satisfies the need for encryption at rest, key control, and auditability. Other options either do not apply to storage accounts or do not grant key control.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Azure Information Protection with Bring Your Own Key (BYOK).
Why it's wrong here
Azure Information Protection is used for classifying and protecting documents and emails, not for encrypting data at rest in Azure Storage. BYOK in that context is not applicable to Data Lake Storage Gen2. This option does not provide the required storage-level encryption.
- ✓
Customer-managed keys (CMK) in Azure Key Vault for Azure Storage encryption.
Why this is correct
Customer-managed keys allow you to use your own keys in Azure Key Vault to encrypt the storage account. This gives you control over key rotation and access, and you can audit key usage through Key Vault logging. It meets the requirements for encryption at rest, key control, and auditing.
- ✗
Storage Service Encryption with Microsoft-managed keys and Azure Monitor logs.
Why it's wrong here
Storage Service Encryption with Microsoft-managed keys encrypts data at rest by default, but you do not control the keys. The requirement explicitly states that you need to control the encryption keys, so this option fails. Azure Monitor logs do not provide key usage auditing for Microsoft-managed keys.
- ✗
Azure Disk Encryption with Azure Key Vault.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Disk Encryption is used to encrypt virtual machine disks, not Azure Storage accounts. It does not apply to Data Lake Storage Gen2. While it uses Key Vault for key management, it is not the correct solution for encrypting data at rest in a storage account. The requirement is specifically for the data lake.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This DP-203 question is part of Courseiva's 509-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
This DP-203 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 DP-203 exam.