Microsoft AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam Dumps and Practice Test Questions Set 15 Q211-225

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Question 211

You need to allow multiple Azure virtual machines to communicate securely within a virtual network while blocking all inbound traffic from the internet. What should you configure?

A) Network Security Group (NSG)
B) Azure Firewall
C) Public IP Address
D) Azure Traffic Manager

Answer: A) Network Security Group (NSG)

Explanation

Network Security Groups (NSGs) are a key component of Azure’s security infrastructure, providing the ability to control inbound and outbound network traffic at both the subnet and network interface levels. They allow administrators to define precise rules that govern which traffic is permitted and which is denied, offering a critical layer of segmentation and protection for virtual networks. By using NSGs, organizations can ensure that virtual machines can communicate with each other internally while restricting or blocking any unnecessary exposure to external networks, including the internet. This capability is essential for minimizing the attack surface of cloud environments and enforcing organizational security policies.

An NSG consists of a set of rules that evaluate traffic based on parameters such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols. Each rule can be configured to allow or deny traffic, providing fine-grained control over network flows. For example, administrators can permit specific ports or protocols for communication between virtual machines within the same virtual network while denying all inbound traffic from the public internet. This approach ensures that only authorized internal traffic is permitted, which is particularly important for sensitive workloads or applications that should not be exposed externally. In addition to protecting individual virtual machines, NSGs can be applied at the subnet level, which simplifies management by enforcing rules across multiple VMs simultaneously.

While other Azure services also provide network protection and traffic management, they serve different purposes and are not as directly suited for controlling internal VM communication. Azure Firewall, for instance, provides centralized network filtering, intrusion detection, and advanced threat protection across multiple virtual networks. It is highly powerful and flexible, but it is typically used for more complex network architectures or scenarios requiring centralized policy enforcement and threat mitigation. Implementing Azure Firewall for simple internal VM-to-VM communication control would be unnecessarily complex and would require additional configuration and ongoing management.

Similarly, assigning a public IP address to a virtual machine or other resource exposes it to the internet. This directly contradicts the requirement to block inbound internet traffic, as public IPs inherently make resources reachable from external networks. In scenarios where internal-only communication is desired, public IPs are not relevant and should be avoided.

Azure Traffic Manager is another service that, while useful for distributing traffic across global endpoints to improve availability and performance, operates at the DNS level. It primarily serves external users and does not provide mechanisms for controlling internal network traffic or enforcing security rules between virtual machines. Therefore, it does not address the need for internal-only traffic segmentation or security.

In summary, Network Security Groups are the most appropriate solution for scenarios where internal communication between virtual machines must be allowed while all other inbound internet traffic is blocked. They provide granular control over traffic flows, are simple to implement and manage, and align directly with the security requirements of internal-only network communication. By using NSGs, administrators can enforce network segmentation, protect resources from external threats, and ensure that virtual machines within a virtual network can securely interact with one another without exposing critical services to the public internet.

Question 212

You need to deploy multiple identical virtual machines to support a web application with high availability and automatic scaling. Which solution should you use?

A) Virtual Machine Scale Sets
B) Availability Set
C) Azure Backup
D) Azure Front Door

Answer: A) Virtual Machine Scale Sets

Explanation

Virtual Machine Scale Sets are an essential Azure service for building scalable and highly available applications. They allow administrators to deploy and manage a group of identical virtual machines that can automatically adjust in number based on application demand. This dynamic scaling ensures that applications, such as web services, can handle varying workloads efficiently, whether there are sudden spikes in traffic or periods of low usage. By defining autoscaling rules, administrators can set thresholds based on metrics like CPU utilization, memory usage, or even custom application-specific metrics. When the monitored metric exceeds or falls below the defined thresholds, the scale set automatically adds or removes virtual machines as needed, optimizing both performance and cost.

Scale sets integrate seamlessly with Azure Load Balancers, which distribute incoming traffic evenly across all instances. This combination of automatic scaling and load balancing ensures that applications remain responsive under high load while maintaining consistent performance for users. Additionally, scale sets support high availability by working with Availability Zones, enabling the deployment of virtual machines across multiple fault domains. This helps protect applications from localized hardware failures or planned maintenance events, increasing overall reliability. The combination of autoscaling, load balancing, and high availability makes scale sets particularly valuable for web applications, APIs, and other workloads that experience fluctuating traffic patterns.

In comparison, other Azure services provide some aspects of availability or traffic management but do not deliver the same level of automated scaling. Availability Sets, for example, improve fault tolerance by distributing virtual machines across multiple fault and update domains within a data center. This ensures that not all virtual machines are affected by hardware failures or maintenance events simultaneously, reducing downtime. However, Availability Sets do not automatically increase or decrease the number of virtual machines based on load, which means they do not address dynamic scaling requirements.

Azure Backup, on the other hand, focuses entirely on data protection and recovery. It enables point-in-time recovery of virtual machines and ensures that data can be restored in case of accidental deletion, corruption, or other failures. While critical for disaster recovery, Azure Backup does not provide mechanisms for managing virtual machine availability, traffic distribution, or scaling.

Azure Front Door offers global load balancing and content delivery capabilities for web applications. It optimizes performance for users by routing requests to the nearest or fastest endpoint, providing caching and acceleration features. However, Azure Front Door does not deploy or scale virtual machines; it primarily manages traffic at the global network level, rather than handling compute resources dynamically.

Therefore, for scenarios where applications require both high availability and the ability to automatically scale in response to changing workloads, Virtual Machine Scale Sets are the ideal solution. They combine the ability to dynamically adjust compute resources, distribute traffic effectively, and maintain application reliability, ensuring that workloads remain responsive and cost-efficient. By automating both scaling and integration with load balancers, scale sets reduce the administrative overhead of managing large numbers of virtual machines while ensuring consistent application performance across varying demand levels.

Question 213

You need to grant temporary administrative access to an Azure VM for emergency troubleshooting, and access must automatically expire after one hour. Which feature should you use?

A) Just-In-Time VM Access
B) Azure Bastion
C) Network Security Group
D) Azure Firewall

Answer: A) Just-In-Time VM Access

Explanation

Just-In-Time (JIT) VM Access is a security feature in Azure designed to minimize exposure of virtual machines to potential threats while still allowing administrators to perform necessary management tasks. In traditional scenarios, virtual machines require ports such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for Windows or Secure Shell (SSH) for Linux to be open for administrative access. If these ports are left open continuously, they create a larger attack surface, making the virtual machines more vulnerable to unauthorized access, malware, and brute-force attacks. JIT VM Access addresses this security concern by allowing administrators to request temporary access to a virtual machine for a defined period. When access is approved, the specified ports are opened automatically, enabling the administrator to connect and perform required operations. Once the approved time expires, the ports are automatically closed, removing exposure to potential threats. This time-bound access ensures that administrative connectivity is available only when necessary, significantly enhancing the security posture of virtual machines.

Network Security Groups (NSGs) are commonly used in Azure to control inbound and outbound traffic to virtual machines. They can restrict traffic based on IP addresses, ports, and protocols, providing a foundational level of network security. However, NSGs do not natively support time-bound or temporary access. Any changes to NSG rules to open or close ports must be performed manually, which increases administrative overhead and introduces the risk of human error. Without automation, administrators may forget to close ports after temporary access, leaving virtual machines unnecessarily exposed. Therefore, while NSGs are essential for general traffic filtering, they are insufficient for scenarios requiring controlled, temporary administrative access.

Azure Firewall is another security option that provides centralized, cloud-based network filtering and threat protection. It can monitor and block malicious traffic, manage application-level rules, and enforce network policies across multiple virtual networks. Despite these capabilities, Azure Firewall does not provide mechanisms for temporary or scheduled administrative access to virtual machines. It is primarily focused on traffic inspection, filtering, and threat prevention rather than managing dynamic port access for VM administration.

Azure Bastion allows administrators to connect securely to virtual machines via the Azure portal using TLS, eliminating the need to expose public IP addresses. While Bastion significantly enhances security by removing the requirement for internet-facing ports, it does not provide time-limited access. Any user with Bastion credentials can access the virtual machines at any time, which does not address the requirement to minimize exposure by granting temporary access only when necessary.

Given these considerations, Just-In-Time VM Access is the optimal solution for scenarios that require secure, temporary administrative access to virtual machines. It automates the process of opening and closing ports, reduces the attack surface by limiting exposure to the internet, and enforces time-bound access policies. By combining security, automation, and operational efficiency, JIT VM Access ensures that virtual machines remain protected while still providing administrators with the access they need to perform essential tasks. It is the recommended service for organizations seeking to balance operational access with robust security controls.

Question 214

You need to restrict an Azure Storage account so it is only accessible from specific virtual networks. Which feature should you use?

A) Virtual Network Service Endpoint
B) Public Endpoint
C) Azure CDN
D) Azure Front Door

Answer: A) Virtual Network Service Endpoint

Explanation

Virtual Network Service Endpoints are an important feature in Azure that allow organizations to extend private network connectivity from a virtual network directly to supported Azure services, such as Storage Accounts, SQL Databases, and Key Vaults. By using service endpoints, administrators can ensure that traffic between virtual machines and Azure services remains on the Microsoft backbone network, bypassing the public internet. This provides a higher level of security and performance by reducing exposure to external threats and avoiding potential latency or bandwidth issues associated with internet routing. Service endpoints also allow for granular control over which subnets within a virtual network can access specific Azure resources, giving organizations the ability to enforce network-based access policies.

When a service endpoint is enabled for a particular subnet, Azure automatically updates the corresponding service’s firewall rules to allow traffic from only that subnet. This means that only resources within the designated subnet can connect to the service, while all other traffic, including attempts from public internet IP addresses, is blocked. This capability is particularly valuable for scenarios where sensitive data or applications are hosted in Azure services and must be protected from unauthorized access. By restricting access to specific subnets, administrators can maintain strict security boundaries and comply with organizational policies or regulatory requirements.

Other Azure solutions may seem related but do not address the same network-level access control. For example, a Public Endpoint exposes the resource, such as a Storage Account, directly to the internet. While public endpoints can be secured with firewall rules and shared access signatures, they inherently increase the attack surface and do not meet requirements for restricted, subnet-level access. Allowing public access contradicts the security goal of keeping traffic contained within a private network.

Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) is designed to optimize performance by caching and delivering content globally. While it improves user experience by reducing latency and offloading traffic from origin servers, it does not provide mechanisms to restrict network-level access to resources within a virtual network. Similarly, Azure Front Door provides global HTTP/HTTPS load balancing and routing, improving application availability and performance for end users worldwide. However, it operates at the application layer and is not intended to enforce network restrictions or limit access to Azure services based on virtual network boundaries.

In contrast, Virtual Network Service Endpoints are specifically designed for scenarios where private, secure connectivity to Azure services is required. They ensure that only approved subnets can access the services, prevent traffic from traversing the public internet, and integrate seamlessly with Azure security and network policies. Service endpoints also reduce complexity by eliminating the need for additional VPNs or custom network configurations for accessing Azure services privately.

Therefore, for organizations that need to enforce subnet-restricted access to Azure services such as Storage Accounts, Virtual Network Service Endpoints provide the most appropriate solution. They combine enhanced security, controlled access, and integration with existing virtual network architectures to ensure that sensitive resources are protected while remaining accessible to authorized internal workloads. This makes service endpoints the ideal choice for private, secure connectivity in Azure environments.

Question 215

You need to enforce that all newly created Azure virtual machines are deployed in a specific region. Which service should you use?

A) Azure Policy
B) Azure Monitor
C) Azure Resource Graph
D) Azure Advisor

Answer: A) Azure Policy

Explanation

Azure Policy is a key governance tool in the Azure ecosystem that allows administrators to define and enforce rules for resource deployments and configurations. It provides a centralized mechanism for ensuring that resources across an organization comply with defined standards, regulatory requirements, and internal policies. One of the primary use cases for Azure Policy is controlling where virtual machines (VMs) and other resources can be deployed. By creating a policy that specifies allowed regions, administrators can prevent the deployment of resources in unauthorized geographic locations. This ensures compliance with organizational requirements, legal regulations, or data residency rules, reducing the risk of non-compliance.

When a policy is assigned to a scope, such as a subscription or resource group, it evaluates all relevant resource deployment requests against its rules. If a request violates the policy—for example, attempting to create a virtual machine in a disallowed region—Azure Policy can either deny the deployment automatically or flag it for review. This proactive enforcement eliminates the need for manual oversight and reduces the possibility of human error. Additionally, Azure Policy provides real-time compliance tracking and reporting, enabling administrators to monitor adherence across all resources. Historical compliance data helps organizations demonstrate regulatory compliance and quickly identify non-compliant resources for remediation.

Other Azure services provide monitoring, reporting, or recommendations, but they do not offer the same enforcement capabilities as Azure Policy. Azure Monitor collects logs, metrics, and diagnostic information to provide insights into the performance, health, and availability of resources. While Azure Monitor can alert administrators to certain conditions, it does not prevent the deployment of resources in non-compliant regions or configurations. It is primarily an observability tool rather than a governance mechanism.

Azure Resource Graph allows administrators to query and analyze resources at scale across subscriptions. This service is valuable for inventory management, auditing, and operational insights. However, it does not enforce policies or prevent non-compliant deployments. It is a tool for exploration and reporting rather than proactive governance.

Azure Advisor provides personalized recommendations for optimizing resources, improving performance, and enhancing security. While these recommendations are useful for improving operational efficiency and adherence to best practices, they do not enforce rules or prevent resource creation in disallowed regions. Advisor serves as a guidance tool rather than a policy enforcement mechanism.

In conclusion, Azure Policy is the most appropriate service for ensuring that virtual machines are deployed only in specific, authorized regions. It provides automated enforcement, real-time compliance tracking, and reporting capabilities that other Azure services do not offer. By defining policies that control geographic deployment, administrators can maintain regulatory compliance, enforce organizational standards, and reduce operational risk. Unlike monitoring, advisory, or query tools, Azure Policy actively controls resource deployments, making it the ideal solution for governance and compliance in Azure environments.

Question 216

You need to protect Azure VMs against data loss in case of accidental deletion or corruption. Which service should you use?

A) Azure Backup
B) Azure Monitor
C) Azure Policy
D) Azure Automation

Answer: A) Azure Backup

Explanation

Azure Backup is a comprehensive cloud-based service designed to protect data and virtual machines in Azure by providing reliable, automated backup and recovery capabilities. It allows administrators to schedule backups for virtual machines, ensuring that copies of critical data are available for restoration in the event of accidental deletion, corruption, or system failures. By leveraging Azure Backup, organizations can maintain data durability and meet internal policies, regulatory requirements, and compliance standards for data protection. This service eliminates the need for traditional on-premises backup infrastructure, reducing complexity, operational overhead, and costs associated with maintaining physical backup systems.

When Azure Backup is configured for virtual machines, it can create point-in-time snapshots that capture the full state of the VM, including the operating system, applications, and data disks. These backups can be retained for days, weeks, or months, depending on the organization’s retention policy. In the event of a failure or data loss, administrators can restore the virtual machine to a specific point in time, recovering both files and system configurations. This capability is particularly valuable for disaster recovery scenarios, accidental data deletions, or ransomware attacks, where timely restoration of virtual machines is critical to maintaining business continuity.

Azure Backup also integrates with other Azure services to enhance security and management. For example, it supports encryption of backup data both at rest and in transit, ensuring that sensitive information is protected. It also provides monitoring and reporting features, allowing administrators to track backup jobs, success rates, and storage consumption. These reporting capabilities help organizations maintain compliance with internal policies and external regulations, as they provide clear visibility into backup status and historical data protection.

Other Azure services provide monitoring, automation, or policy enforcement, but they do not offer the same data protection and recovery capabilities. Azure Monitor collects metrics, logs, and diagnostics information to help administrators gain insights into resource performance and health. While it provides valuable visibility and alerting for operational management, it does not protect data or enable recovery of lost or corrupted virtual machines.

Azure Policy allows organizations to define and enforce compliance rules for resource deployments and configurations. While it ensures that resources adhere to organizational standards, it does not provide backup or restoration capabilities. Similarly, Azure Automation is designed to streamline administrative tasks and workflows through automation, but it is not a data protection solution and cannot recover virtual machine states.

Therefore, for organizations seeking to safeguard virtual machine data and ensure rapid recovery in case of failures, Azure Backup is the most appropriate solution. It provides scheduled, automated backups, point-in-time recovery, data retention, and compliance support, all within a fully managed cloud service. By using Azure Backup, organizations can protect critical workloads, maintain business continuity, and reduce the risk of data loss, making it the ideal choice for reliable virtual machine data protection in Azure environments.

Question 217

You need to provide developers the ability to deploy resources in a subscription but prevent them from deleting production resources. What is the best approach?

A) Create a custom RBAC role with create and update permissions
B) Assign Owner role
C) Assign Contributor role
D) Assign Reader role

Answer: A) Create a custom RBAC role with create and update permissions

Explanation

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Azure provides a flexible and secure way to manage user permissions within a cloud environment. By defining roles with specific privileges, organizations can enforce the principle of least privilege, ensuring that users and teams have only the permissions necessary to perform their tasks. One common scenario in enterprise environments is granting developers the ability to create and update resources without allowing them to delete critical production assets. This requirement is particularly important in organizations where accidental or intentional deletions could result in service disruptions, data loss, or compliance violations.

A custom RBAC role is the ideal solution for this scenario. By creating a role specifically tailored to the organization’s requirements, administrators can grant permissions to create and update resources while explicitly denying deletion rights. This approach ensures that developers have the capabilities needed to deploy and modify applications, services, or infrastructure components without the risk of removing essential resources. The granular control provided by custom roles allows organizations to balance operational flexibility with strong security, reducing the likelihood of inadvertent changes that could affect production environments.

Assigning prebuilt roles such as Owner, Contributor, or Reader does not meet the requirements for controlled developer access. The Owner role provides full control over resources, including creation, updates, deletion, and access management. While this level of permission is useful for administrators or system operators, it is excessively permissive for developers who should not have the ability to delete resources or modify access policies. Using the Owner role in this context could result in unintended deletions or security misconfigurations, undermining both operational stability and governance standards.

The Contributor role allows users to create, read, and update resources but also includes the ability to delete them. While it provides the necessary permissions for development work, it fails to prevent destructive actions. Developers with Contributor access could unintentionally delete production resources or components, potentially causing downtime, data loss, or operational issues. Therefore, this built-in role does not provide the fine-grained control needed to meet the requirement of restricting deletions while still enabling deployment and updates.

The Reader role, on the other hand, is too restrictive. It grants only read access to resources, allowing users to view configurations and monitor the environment but preventing them from creating or modifying any resources. While this role is useful for auditing, monitoring, or reporting purposes, it does not support development activities, as developers cannot deploy new resources or update existing ones. Using the Reader role would hinder productivity and prevent the team from completing necessary work in a timely manner.

By defining a custom RBAC role with permissions for creating and updating resources while explicitly denying deletion rights, organizations achieve the optimal balance between operational flexibility and security. This tailored approach ensures that developers can perform their tasks efficiently without compromising the integrity of production systems. It also aligns with governance best practices, minimizing the risk of accidental or malicious resource deletion while maintaining productivity and compliance across the environment. In conclusion, a custom RBAC role designed with these precise permissions provides a secure and effective solution for controlled development access in Azure.

Question 218

You need to monitor and diagnose application performance issues for a web application running across multiple Azure VMs. Which service should you use?

A) Azure Application Insights
B) Azure Monitor Metrics
C) Azure Security Center
D) Azure Advisor

Answer: A) Azure Application Insights

Explanation

Azure Application Insights is a powerful monitoring and diagnostics service designed to provide deep insights into the behavior and performance of applications. It is particularly effective for applications running across multiple virtual machines, distributed environments, or cloud-native architectures. By collecting telemetry data such as request rates, response times, dependency calls, exceptions, and user interactions, Application Insights allows administrators and developers to gain a comprehensive understanding of how an application is performing in real time. This level of visibility is critical for identifying performance bottlenecks, diagnosing errors, and proactively maintaining application health.

One of the key features of Application Insights is its ability to monitor distributed applications. In modern cloud environments, applications often span multiple services, virtual machines, and microservices. Application Insights can correlate telemetry across these components, providing end-to-end visibility into the application’s execution flow. This includes tracking how requests move through different services, measuring the time taken by each dependency, and identifying failures or slow responses. By visualizing this telemetry data in real time, teams can quickly pinpoint the root causes of performance issues, optimize resource usage, and improve overall application reliability.

In contrast, Azure Monitor Metrics primarily focuses on infrastructure-level metrics. It provides insights into the performance and health of virtual machines, network resources, storage accounts, and other Azure services. While Azure Monitor Metrics is valuable for monitoring CPU usage, memory consumption, disk I/O, and network throughput, it does not provide detailed application-level insights. Metrics alone are insufficient for diagnosing application-specific issues such as slow response times caused by inefficient code, problematic dependencies, or unhandled exceptions. Without application-level telemetry, troubleshooting complex distributed applications can be slow and error-prone.

Azure Security Center, now known as Microsoft Defender for Cloud, focuses on security and compliance rather than application performance. It helps organizations detect threats, assess vulnerabilities, and enforce security best practices. Although Security Center is critical for protecting infrastructure and applications from malicious activity, it does not offer real-time diagnostics or telemetry that can be used to monitor the behavior or performance of an application. Security insights alone cannot identify the root causes of slow response times, unhandled exceptions, or high latency in application workflows.

Azure Advisor provides recommendations for optimizing resources, improving performance, and reducing costs across Azure environments. While it can suggest best practices, it does not provide live monitoring or telemetry for diagnosing real-time application issues. Advisor’s recommendations are based on analysis of historical configurations and usage patterns rather than active application behavior.

Considering the options, Application Insights is clearly the most appropriate service for diagnosing and monitoring applications across multiple virtual machines. It provides end-to-end telemetry, real-time diagnostics, performance monitoring, and detailed analytics that allow development and operations teams to detect, investigate, and resolve issues efficiently. By leveraging Application Insights, organizations can maintain high-performing, reliable applications, proactively address bottlenecks, and deliver a better user experience, all while reducing downtime and operational overhead.

Question 219

You need to ensure all storage account data is encrypted using keys that you control. Which approach should you use?

A) Customer-Managed Keys in Azure Key Vault
B) Platform-Managed Keys
C) Azure Disk Encryption
D) Transparent Data Encryption

Answer: A) Customer-Managed Keys in Azure Key Vault

Explanation

Customer-Managed Keys, commonly referred to as CMK, provide organizations with the ability to fully control the encryption keys used to protect their Azure Storage data. Unlike platform-managed encryption keys, which are handled entirely by Microsoft, CMK empowers organizations to take ownership of the cryptographic keys that safeguard sensitive information. The keys themselves are stored securely within Azure Key Vault, a service designed for managing secrets, certificates, and cryptographic keys. By leveraging CMK, organizations can implement key rotation policies, revoke keys when necessary, and maintain detailed audit logs of all key usage, ensuring accountability and regulatory compliance. This level of control is critical for businesses that operate under stringent regulatory requirements, such as financial services, healthcare, and government sectors, where demonstrating control over encryption keys is a mandatory compliance measure.

The primary advantage of using Customer-Managed Keys lies in the full lifecycle management of the keys. Administrators can define rotation schedules to periodically refresh encryption keys, enhancing security by limiting the exposure period of any single key. If a key is suspected to be compromised or must be retired for policy reasons, it can be revoked immediately, preventing further access to encrypted data. Additionally, Azure Key Vault provides robust logging and auditing features, allowing organizations to track when and how keys are accessed or used. This auditability supports compliance reporting and ensures that key usage can be validated against internal security policies and external regulatory standards.

Platform-Managed Keys, by contrast, are fully managed by Microsoft and automatically applied to Azure Storage accounts. While they provide encryption at rest and offer a level of security suitable for general use, organizations do not have control over key rotation, revocation, or access auditing. The inability to manage the keys directly means that businesses with strict compliance or regulatory obligations cannot rely solely on platform-managed encryption. Organizations that require proof of key ownership, control over key lifecycle, or the ability to revoke keys at will would not meet these requirements using platform-managed keys alone.

Other encryption mechanisms in Azure, such as Azure Disk Encryption, serve different purposes. Azure Disk Encryption applies to virtual machine disks—both operating system and data disks—using technologies like BitLocker for Windows and DM-Crypt for Linux. While effective for VM-level encryption, it does not apply to Azure Storage account objects such as blobs, tables, queues, or files, leaving these resources unprotected under this model. Similarly, Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) encrypts SQL databases at rest and can be used to enhance database security. However, TDE by itself does not cover general storage accounts unless it is combined with Customer-Managed Keys in Key Vault, limiting its applicability for storage-level encryption scenarios.

Given these considerations, Customer-Managed Keys stored in Azure Key Vault emerge as the most appropriate and secure method for encrypting Azure Storage while maintaining full control over the encryption keys. By providing ownership, rotation, revocation, and auditing capabilities, CMK ensures that organizations can meet regulatory and compliance requirements while protecting sensitive data. This approach delivers both strong security and governance, making it the preferred choice for enterprises seeking complete control over their encryption strategy.

Question 220

You need to provide on-premises access to Azure Storage over a private connection without exposing it to the internet. Which solution should you use?

A) Azure ExpressRoute with private peering
B) Shared Access Signature
C) Public Endpoint
D) Azure Traffic Manager

Answer: A) Azure ExpressRoute with private peering

Explanation

Azure ExpressRoute is a service that establishes a private, dedicated connection between an organization’s on-premises network and Microsoft Azure. Unlike standard internet connections, ExpressRoute traffic does not traverse the public internet, offering enhanced security, lower latency, and more predictable network performance. One of the primary use cases for ExpressRoute is providing private, secure connectivity to Azure Storage accounts, which is particularly important for organizations with strict compliance, regulatory, or security requirements. By using private peering, all traffic between on-premises systems and Azure Storage remains within the private network, ensuring that sensitive data is never exposed to the public internet and reducing the risk of unauthorized access or interception.

ExpressRoute provides several benefits over other connectivity options. First, because it bypasses the public internet, organizations experience more reliable and consistent network performance. Internet-based connections are subject to variable latency, congestion, and routing issues, which can impact the performance of critical workloads. ExpressRoute guarantees a private path, delivering predictable throughput and latency, which is crucial for high-performance applications that rely on frequent or large data transfers to and from Azure Storage. Second, the private connectivity provided by ExpressRoute enhances security by isolating traffic from the public network. This aligns with compliance requirements in industries such as finance, healthcare, and government, where sensitive data must be transmitted securely and remain under the organization’s control.

Alternative methods for accessing Azure Storage, such as Shared Access Signatures (SAS), provide temporary, token-based access to resources. While SAS tokens enable granular control over permissions and expiration times, they do not address the security of the transport path. Data accessed through SAS tokens often still travels over public endpoints unless combined with other network controls, which means the traffic could potentially be intercepted or monitored by unauthorized entities. SAS tokens alone do not satisfy the requirement for private, dedicated connectivity.

Public Endpoints for Azure Storage expose the storage account to the internet, making it accessible from any location with proper credentials. While public endpoints can be secured with network rules or authentication mechanisms, the underlying traffic still traverses the public internet. This exposure directly conflicts with scenarios requiring private access, where organizations need to ensure that storage traffic never leaves a secure, controlled network environment.

Azure Traffic Manager is another Azure service that provides global load balancing for HTTP and HTTPS applications. It is designed to optimize performance and availability by routing requests to the closest or healthiest endpoints. However, Traffic Manager operates at the application layer and does not provide private connectivity or secure the underlying traffic between on-premises networks and Azure Storage. It is not a solution for meeting requirements related to private or dedicated network access.

Considering these options, ExpressRoute with private peering is the optimal solution for secure, private connectivity to Azure Storage. It ensures that all traffic remains on a private, dedicated path, providing enhanced security, regulatory compliance, and predictable network performance. By implementing ExpressRoute, organizations can maintain strict control over their data, reduce exposure to public networks, and support mission-critical workloads that require reliable and secure access to storage resources in Azure.

Question 221

You need to automatically shut down idle virtual machines to reduce costs. Which service should you use?

A) Azure Automation Account
B) Azure Monitor
C) Azure Policy
D) Network Security Group

Answer: A) Azure Automation Account

Explanation

Azure Automation Account can create runbooks that automatically start, stop, or deallocate VMs based on schedules or triggers. This allows organizations to shut down idle VMs, saving costs and enforcing operational policies without manual intervention.

Azure Monitor collects metrics and logs but does not perform automatic shutdowns.

Azure Policy enforces compliance rules but does not manage operational tasks like shutting down VMs.

Network Security Groups control traffic flow but cannot deallocate or stop virtual machines.

Therefore, Azure Automation Account is the correct service for automating idle VM shutdown.

Question 222

You need to ensure virtual machines are deployed across multiple fault and update domains to maintain high availability. Which configuration should you use?

A) Availability Set
B) Availability Zone
C) Virtual Machine Scale Sets
D) Azure Backup

Answer: A) Availability Set

Explanation

Availability Sets distribute virtual machines across fault domains (hardware groups) and update domains (for platform updates). This ensures that during maintenance or hardware failures, at least one VM remains operational, providing high availability within a single region.

Availability Zones provide redundancy across separate physical locations, but the requirement specifically mentions fault and update domains.

Virtual Machine Scale Sets provide autoscaling and high availability but the fundamental concept of fault/update domains is implemented in Availability Sets.

Azure Backup protects VM data but does not maintain operational uptime or distribute VMs for high availability.

Therefore, Availability Set is the correct choice for high availability using fault and update domains.

Question 223

You need to monitor CPU usage, memory utilization, and disk I/O for multiple VMs and trigger alerts when thresholds are breached. Which service should you use?

A) Azure Monitor Metrics
B) Azure Advisor
C) Azure Policy
D) Azure Automation

Answer: A) Azure Monitor Metrics

Explanation

Azure Monitor Metrics collects performance metrics from virtual machines and other Azure resources. You can define thresholds and alerts that trigger notifications or automated actions when metrics exceed defined limits. This ensures proactive monitoring and timely response to performance issues.

Azure Advisor provides recommendations for optimization but does not provide real-time metric alerts.

Azure Policy enforces resource configurations and compliance but does not monitor runtime performance metrics.

Azure Automation allows you to schedule tasks or run scripts but requires external triggers; it does not provide built-in metric collection or alerts.

Thus, Azure Monitor Metrics is the correct choice for monitoring VM performance and triggering alerts.

Question 224

You need to control which Azure regions users can deploy resources into. Which service should you use?

A) Azure Policy
B) Azure Monitor
C) Azure Automation
D) Azure Resource Graph

Answer: A) Azure Policy

Explanation

Azure Policy enforces organizational standards by restricting the allowed deployment regions. Any attempt to create resources in unauthorized regions is denied or flagged. This ensures compliance with governance requirements.

Azure Monitor collects metrics and logs but does not restrict deployments.

Azure Automation performs scheduled or triggered tasks but does not enforce deployment policies.

Azure Resource Graph allows querying resources at scale but does not prevent creation in disallowed regions.

Therefore, Azure Policy is the correct solution.

Question 225

You need to provide secure, private access to an Azure SQL Database from a virtual network. Which feature should you use?

A) Private Endpoint
B) Public Endpoint
C) VPN Gateway
D) Azure Traffic Manager

Answer: A) Private Endpoint

Explanation

Private Endpoints assign a private IP within a virtual network to Azure SQL Database, enabling secure access over Azure’s internal backbone. It ensures traffic does not traverse the public internet and integrates with DNS for proper resolution.

Public Endpoint exposes the database to the internet, violating the requirement for private access.

VPN Gateway provides connectivity from on-premises networks but is unnecessary for access from within the same virtual network.

Azure Traffic Manager provides global routing for HTTP/HTTPS traffic but does not secure SQL Database access.

Therefore, Private Endpoint is the correct solution for secure, private connectivity.