The answer is that the storage account was created with the 'Secure transfer required' setting disabled. This is correct because the Azure Policy definition assigned to the management group uses a Deny effect that explicitly requires secure transfer to be enabled for all storage accounts; when the development team attempts to create a storage account with this setting turned off, the policy evaluates the resource against its condition at creation time and blocks the request, enforcing compliance immediately. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Azure Policy enforces organizational standards through effects like Deny, and a common trap is assuming the policy blocks all storage account creation rather than only those violating a specific property like secure transfer. A useful memory tip is to think of "Deny on disable"—if secure transfer is disabled, the policy denies the creation.
SC-100 Design a strategy for data and applications Practice Question
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design a strategy for data and applications. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 security administrator applies the Azure Policy definition shown in the exhibit to a management group containing multiple subscriptions. After the policy is assigned, a development team reports they cannot create a new storage account in their subscription. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The storage account was created with the 'Secure transfer required' setting disabled.
The Azure Policy definition in the exhibit likely includes an effect (e.g., 'Deny') that requires the 'Secure transfer required' setting to be enabled on storage accounts. When the development team attempts to create a storage account with this setting disabled, the policy denies the request, preventing the creation. This is the most direct cause because Azure Policy enforces compliance rules at resource creation time, and disabling secure transfer violates the policy's condition.
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.
✗
The storage account was created using an older API version that does not support Azure Policy enforcement.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Policy works with all API versions.
✗
The storage account was created in a region that does not support the premium tier.
Why it's wrong here
The policy does not restrict based on tier or region.
✗
The storage account was assigned a network security group (NSG) that blocks inbound HTTPS traffic.
Why it's wrong here
The policy does not check NSGs.
✓
The storage account was created with the 'Secure transfer required' setting disabled.
Why this is correct
The policy denies storage accounts where 'supportsHttpsTrafficOnly' is false, meaning secure transfer is not enabled.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse post-creation network controls (like NSGs) with pre-creation policy enforcement, or assume API version or regional limitations are the cause, when the actual denial stems from a specific property mismatch in the policy rule.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Policy uses a 'Deny' effect to block non-compliant resource creation by evaluating the resource properties against the policy rule during the PUT request. The 'Secure transfer required' setting (property 'supportsHttpsTrafficOnly') is a boolean on the StorageAccount resource type; when set to false, the policy denies the deployment before the resource is provisioned. This is a common compliance scenario for enforcing encryption in transit, as per industry standards like PCI DSS.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-100 question in full detail.
Design a strategy for data and applications — This question tests Design a strategy for data and applications — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The storage account was created with the 'Secure transfer required' setting disabled. — The Azure Policy definition in the exhibit likely includes an effect (e.g., 'Deny') that requires the 'Secure transfer required' setting to be enabled on storage accounts. When the development team attempts to create a storage account with this setting disabled, the policy denies the request, preventing the creation. This is the most direct cause because Azure Policy enforces compliance rules at resource creation time, and disabling secure transfer violates the policy's condition.
What should I do if I get this SC-100 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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