Azure Private Endpoint for Secure VNet Access

What an Azure Private Endpoint is

An Azure Private Endpoint is a network interface that connects a virtual machine or other resource privately and securely to a service powered by Azure Private Link. The private endpoint uses a private IP address from your Azure Virtual Network (VNet) address space, effectively bringing the targeted Azure PaaS service directly into your private network.

How it meets the requirements

• Eliminates public internet exposure: By using a private endpoint, the database does not need to expose a public endpoint or route traffic over the public internet.
• Keeps traffic on the Microsoft backbone: Traffic between the virtual machines in the VNet and the database travels exclusively over the secure Microsoft global network backbone.
• Assigns a private VNet IP: The private endpoint assigns a specific private IP address from the VNet's subnet directly to the service resource.

Key advantages and capabilities

• Granular resource access: Secures connectivity to a specific resource instance rather than the entire multi-tenant service.
• Built-in data exfiltration protection: Restricts network access strictly to the mapped resource, preventing unauthorized data transfers to unintended external destinations.
• Integration with private DNS: Seamlessly resolves Azure service Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) to private IP addresses using Azure Private DNS zones.
• Cross-premises connectivity: Enables secure connectivity from on-premises networks across VPN Gateways or Azure ExpressRoute without public routing.

Why this is optimal

A private endpoint is the ideal architectural choice when organizations must comply with strict isolation standards, eliminating public endpoints and keeping all database transactions confined within private IP boundaries.