Azure Private Link vs. Private Endpoint vs. Service Endpoint

Azure Private Link represents the broader platform enabling private connectivity, while Private Endpoint provides the resource-level implementation. This fundamental distinction shapes how each technology fits into your security architecture.

Private Link unifies multiple services under a single private connection framework, creating a consistent access model across Azure services. Private Endpoint, meanwhile, targets individual service instances, providing granular control over specific resources. Service Endpoints offer a simpler but less comprehensive approach by restricting access to specific subnets but still routing traffic over the public internet.

Network security configuration differs significantly between these options. Private Endpoints require specific DNS configurations to route traffic properly, while both Private Endpoints and Private Link support network security groups for access control. IP addressing also varies: Private Endpoints receive private IPs from your VNet, while Service Endpoints maintain public IPs but restrict which subnets can access them.

Usage scenarios highlight the practical applications of each approach. Private Link with Private Endpoints excels when connecting to critical PaaS services containing sensitive data or when linking multi-region workloads securely. Service Endpoints provide adequate protection for less sensitive workloads where simplicity outweighs the need for complete private connectivity.

This table compares the key differences between Azure’s private connectivity options:

Private connectivity in Azure delivers substantial security advantages while maintaining operational efficiency. Organizations can maintain consistent security policies across all resources and manage data flows within a single interface, simplifying governance.

Performance optimization comes through Microsoft backbone routing, which provides stable latency and high availability compared to internet-based connections. This dedicated routing helps avoid internet congestion and unpredictable performance issues that can impact business-critical applications.

Compliance alignment improves significantly with private connectivity options. These solutions support stricter data handling standards through private resource mappings that minimize data exposure and create clear security boundaries. Organizations in regulated industries find these features particularly valuable for demonstrating proper data controls.

Here are the key benefits of adopting private connectivity in Azure:

• Enhanced security posture: Traffic remains on Microsoft’s private network, reducing attack surface.
• Simplified network design: Consistent connectivity model across multiple services.
• Improved reliability: Reduced dependency on public internet connections.
• Streamlined compliance: Better alignment with data sovereignty and regulatory requirements.
• Protection from data exfiltration: Private IPs limit exposure of sensitive information.
• Reduced lateral movement risk: Segmentation of services with precise access controls.

This below provides guidance on when to use each connectivity option based on your specific requirements:

Consider these best practices when implementing private connectivity in Azure:

• Storage configuration: Use Storage V2 accounts for Private Endpoints to access all advanced features.
• Endpoint limitation: Limit one Private Endpoint per resource to avoid DNS conflicts and simplify troubleshooting.
• Network policy management: Disable network policies on subnets hosting Private Endpoints as required by Azure.
• Regular testing: Test connectivity and backup/restore workflows frequently to verify proper operation.
• DNS integration: Properly configure DNS resolution to support private endpoints without breaking existing applications.
• Access reviews: Periodically review and audit Private Endpoint connections to prevent unauthorized access.

An eDiscovery industry leader experienced a catastrophic security breach that completely disabled their Azure environment. The organization, which provides critical eDiscovery services to financial and legal institutions, saw its entire business operations halted when attackers took control of its Active Directory, revoked all access privileges, and encrypted its managed disks.
The breach occurred at 2 a.m., affecting over 1,500 Azure cloud resources spanning multiple applications and resource groups in the south-central U.S. region. The situation was dire: No one could log into any Azure subscriptions, and all business operations came to an immediate standstill.

The company had implemented Commvault Cloud Rewind to protect its complex Azure environment, which included various eDiscovery applications, its proprietary data management platform, and IT infrastructure hub services. This preparation proved invaluable during the crisis.

When the breach was discovered, the IT team immediately engaged Commvault’s support. The recovery process began with situation analysis to identify the extent of the damage. Because Commvault Cloud Rewind maintains immutable copies of both metadata and application environment states in a location separate from the customer environment, the team could quickly begin recovery operations.

The first critical step involved identifying a healthy point-in-time copy from the immutable data timeline. The team used Commvault Cloud Rewind to spin up different daily environment snapshots, testing a few crucial systems to verify data integrity and identify the precise moment before the infection began.

Once the team located a clean recovery point, a single IT operations staff member initiated the recovery process with one click. The entire environment was recovered to a completely different VNet within the same region, effectively isolating the recovery environment from the compromised one. This isolation strategy allowed production to resume while preserving the infected environment for security forensics and investigation.

The recovery operation restored 18 subscriptions, including all applications, associated resource groups, and dependencies, in under 36 minutes. The team noted that parallel recovery initiation could have reduced this time to approximately 15 minutes. However, the team deliberately prioritized the recovery sequence to restore the most critical systems first, followed by less urgent components.

This real-world scenario demonstrates how proper implementation of Azure private connectivity options, combined with robust backup and recovery solutions, can dramatically reduce downtime even in worst-case security breach scenarios. The eDiscovery company’s experience highlights the importance of maintaining immutable backups and implementing comprehensive recovery capabilities for Azure environments.

Commvault recommends configuring Private Endpoints for secure, private access to Azure storage accounts used for backup and recovery operations. This approach creates a dedicated private channel between your backup infrastructure and storage targets.

By implementing Private Endpoints with Commvault’s backup solutions, organizations can establish that backup data traffic never traverses the public internet. This configuration substantially enhances security and compliance posture, particularly for organizations handling sensitive or regulated data.

The integration process follows several key steps: obtaining storage resource IDs from your Azure environment, creating Private Endpoints through the Azure portal or PowerShell, configuring DNS settings to resolve storage endpoints to private IPs, and adjusting network policies to allow proper communication. Commvault’s documentation provides detailed guidance for each step, supporting smooth implementation.

Commvault’s integration with Azure Private Link delivers end-to-end data protection with enhanced security. The solution allows organizations to back up workloads to Azure storage while maintaining complete network isolation and data privacy. This integration supports both cloud-native and hybrid deployments, providing consistent protection regardless of where data resides.

Selecting the right Azure private connectivity option depends on your specific security, compliance, and operational requirements. Commvault supports these Azure features to provide secure, reliable backup and recovery capabilities that align with modern security best practices.

Organizations leveraging Commvault with Azure Private Link gain the confidence that their backup data remains protected throughout its lifecycle, from initial backup to final restoration. We understand the challenges of protecting your data in Azure, so let us show you how Commvault helps safeguard your critical workloads with a personalized demo of our solution.