The answer is to disable public access and configure a private endpoint. Disabling public access at the storage account level cuts off all internet traffic, while a private endpoint assigns the storage account a private IP from your virtual network, ensuring traffic from your on-premises data center via VPN stays within the Microsoft Azure backbone and never traverses the public internet. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this scenario tests your understanding of network segmentation and data exfiltration prevention—a common trap is confusing service endpoints with private endpoints, but remember that private endpoints provide a more secure, isolated connection by placing the resource directly into your VNet. A useful memory tip is “public off, private on”—if you need to block public access and restrict to a VPN, always pair disabling public network access with a private endpoint, not just a firewall rule.
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. 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 stores sensitive data in Azure Blob Storage. They want to prevent data exfiltration by blocking public access and restricting network access to only their on-premises data center via VPN. Which two features should they use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Disable public access and configure a service endpoint with a firewall rule for the VPN subnet
Option C is correct because disabling public access ensures the storage account is not reachable from the internet, and configuring a service endpoint with a firewall rule for the VPN subnet restricts traffic to only the on-premises data center traffic arriving via the VPN. Service endpoints provide an optimized route over the Azure backbone, and the firewall rule explicitly allows the VPN subnet's IP range, preventing data exfiltration from unauthorized networks.
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.
✗
Enable firewall and add on-premises IP range
Why it's wrong here
On-premises traffic appears as VPN public IP, not internal IP range.
✗
Disable public access and use RBAC
Why it's wrong here
RBAC controls identity, not network.
✓
Disable public access and configure a service endpoint with a firewall rule for the VPN subnet
Why this is correct
Service endpoint restricts to subnet, firewall blocks other traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Disable public access and configure a private endpoint
Why this is correct
Private endpoint uses private IP, but VPN is needed for connectivity.
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 often confuse service endpoints with private endpoints, assuming private endpoints are required for VPN access, but service endpoints are simpler and sufficient when the goal is to restrict access to a specific subnet (the VPN gateway subnet) rather than assigning a private IP.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Service endpoints extend the virtual network identity to the Azure service, allowing firewall rules to be written against the subnet's virtual network ID rather than public IPs, which is critical when on-premises traffic arrives over a VPN because the source IP is the VPN gateway's public IP, not the on-premises range. The firewall rule for the VPN subnet must be configured with the subnet's address space (not the on-premises IPs) to correctly allow traffic from the VPN gateway. In a real-world scenario, if the on-premises IP range changes or is not contiguous, using a service endpoint with the VPN subnet avoids IP management overhead and ensures traffic stays within the Azure backbone.
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: Disable public access and configure a service endpoint with a firewall rule for the VPN subnet — Option C is correct because disabling public access ensures the storage account is not reachable from the internet, and configuring a service endpoint with a firewall rule for the VPN subnet restricts traffic to only the on-premises data center traffic arriving via the VPN. Service endpoints provide an optimized route over the Azure backbone, and the firewall rule explicitly allows the VPN subnet's IP range, preventing data exfiltration from unauthorized networks.
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.
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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