easyMultiple Select
SC-100 Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are valid methods to…
Which TWO of the following are valid methods to secure traffic between on-premises and Azure?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse Azure Front Door or Traffic Manager as security solutions because they offer TLS termination or DDoS protection, but neither provides encrypted site-to-site connectivity between on-premises and Azure; they are traffic routing and acceleration services, not VPN or private connection methods.
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
✓
ExpressRoute with MACsec
ExpressRoute with MACsec provides encryption at Layer 2 using the IEEE 802.1AE standard, securing traffic between on-premises and Azure over a private connection without traversing the public internet. Site-to-Site VPN uses IPsec (IKEv1/IKEv2) to encrypt traffic over the public internet, establishing a secure tunnel between the on-premises VPN device and Azure VPN Gateway. Both are valid methods for securing traffic, with ExpressRoute+MACsec offering lower latency and higher throughput for private connectivity.
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 Front Door
Why it's wrong here
Azure Front Door is a global HTTP/S load balancer and web application firewall, not a data-path tunneling or encryption service. It routes and accelerates web traffic at Layer 7 but does not establish an IPsec or MACsec encrypted tunnel between your on-premises network and Azure. Therefore it cannot secure site-to-site or private network traffic.
- ✓
ExpressRoute with MACsec
Why this is correct
ExpressRoute with MACsec is a valid layer-2 encryption method: ExpressRoute provides a private, dedicated connection that avoids the public internet, and MACsec (802.1AE) adds end-to-end data-link encryption between your edge router and Microsoft's edge. This combination ensures confidentiality and integrity for traffic that would otherwise traverse shared provider infrastructure, making it a robust way to secure hybrid connectivity.
- ✗
Azure Traffic Manager
Why it's wrong here
Azure Traffic Manager is a DNS-based traffic load balancer that directs inbound requests to healthy endpoints based on routing methods like priority or performance. It operates only at the control plane by returning DNS answers and does not carry, tunnel, or encrypt any user data traffic. Consequently, it provides no confidentiality or integrity protections for site-to-site communication and is not a valid security mechanism.
- ✗
Azure CDN
Why it's wrong here
Azure CDN caches and accelerates delivery of static and dynamic content by replicating it to edge points of presence. It is not a site-to-site connectivity or encryption service; even when HTTPS is used, that only protects the client-to-edge segment, not a tunnel between your on-premises network and Azure. Thus, it lacks the capability to secure private network traffic between locations.
- ✓
Site-to-Site VPN
Why this is correct
Site-to-Site VPN is a valid method because it creates an encrypted IPsec/IKE tunnel over the public internet between your on-premises VPN device and the Azure VPN gateway. This tunnel provides confidentiality, integrity, and authentication for all traffic crossing logically isolated virtual networks and on-premises networks. It is a standard and effective way to secure hybrid network traffic without requiring dedicated private lines.
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SC-100 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 SC-100 exam.