The answer is to create a new Sentinel workspace in West Europe and ingest logs there. This minimizes data transfer costs because Microsoft Sentinel charges for cross-region data egress; by placing the workspace in the same Azure region as the log sources, you avoid those egress fees entirely. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this scenario tests your understanding of regional data residency and cost optimization—a common trap is assuming a single centralized workspace is always best, when in fact distributed workspaces reduce egress costs. Remember the memory tip: “Logs local, costs minimal”—keep your Sentinel workspace physically close to your data sources to avoid unnecessary cross-region charges.
SC-100 Practice Question: Design solutions that align with security best practices and priorities
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions that align with security best practices and priorities. 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 uses Microsoft Sentinel with a workspace in the East US region. They want to ingest logs from Azure resources in West Europe. To minimize data transfer costs, what should they do?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a new Sentinel workspace in West Europe and ingest logs there
To minimize costs, the best practice is to create a Sentinel workspace in the same region as the data sources. Since West Europe resources are in West Europe, a workspace there is optimal. However, the question states the workspace is already in East US. To minimize transfer costs, they could create a new workspace in West Europe and ingest logs there, then use cross-workspace queries. But that adds complexity. Alternatively, they could continue to use the East US workspace and accept the costs. The best answer is to create a new workspace in West Europe.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use Azure ExpressRoute to connect West Europe to East US
Why it's wrong here
ExpressRoute reduces latency but does not eliminate inter-region data transfer costs.
✗
Configure data collection rules to filter logs at source
Why it's wrong here
Filtering reduces volume but still incurs transfer costs.
✓
Create a new Sentinel workspace in West Europe and ingest logs there
Why this is correct
This minimizes data transfer costs by keeping logs in the same region.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Use the existing workspace; inter-region costs are negligible
Why it's wrong here
Data transfer between regions incurs significant costs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-100 question in full detail.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SC-100 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Design solutions that align with security best practices and priorities — This question tests Design solutions that align with security best practices and priorities — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a new Sentinel workspace in West Europe and ingest logs there — To minimize costs, the best practice is to create a Sentinel workspace in the same region as the data sources. Since West Europe resources are in West Europe, a workspace there is optimal. However, the question states the workspace is already in East US. To minimize transfer costs, they could create a new workspace in West Europe and ingest logs there, then use cross-workspace queries. But that adds complexity. Alternatively, they could continue to use the East US workspace and accept the costs. The best answer is to create a new workspace in West Europe.
What should I do if I get this SC-100 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SC-100 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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