AZ-900 Practice Exam 62 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A company has deployed hundreds of virtual machines in Azure across multiple subscriptions. The governance team wants to generate a compliance report that identifies which VMs are using approved VM sizes and which are not, according to a corporate policy. The team must not block the deployment of non-compliant VMs; they only want to track compliance. Which Azure Policy effect should they use in the policy definition?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Audit. The Audit effect is the correct choice because it enables the governance team to log non-compliant resources (such as VMs using unapproved sizes) in the Azure Activity Log without blocking their deployment. This effect generates a compliance report while allowing the deployment to proceed, exactly matching the requirement to track compliance without enforcement.

Answer

Deny

Answer

Append

Answer

DeployIfNotExists

Question 2

A company stores compliance logs in Azure Blob Storage. The logs must remain available even if an entire Azure datacenter within the primary region fails. The company is cost-conscious and wants to minimize storage costs while meeting this availability requirement. The company does not need to access the data from a secondary location during a disaster. Which storage replication option should the company choose?

Accepted Answer

Zone-redundant storage (ZRS). Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within the primary region. This ensures data remains available even if an entire datacenter (one zone) fails, while avoiding the higher cost and cross-region replication of GRS. Since the company does not need secondary region access and wants to minimize costs, ZRS meets the requirement without paying for geo-redundancy.

Answer

Locally-redundant storage (LRS)

Answer

Geo-redundant storage (GRS)

Answer

Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)

Question 3

A company runs multiple projects in Azure, each project is placed in a separate resource group. The finance team wants to set a monthly spending limit of $10,000 per project and receive automated email alerts when a project's spending reaches 80% of the limit and again when it exceeds the limit. The solution must use native Azure capabilities and be configurable per resource group. Which Azure service should the finance team use?

Accepted Answer

Azure Cost Management budgets with alert rules. Azure Cost Management budgets allow you to set spending limits at the scope of a resource group and configure alert rules that trigger automated email notifications when costs reach a specified threshold (e.g., 80% of the budget) and again when the limit is exceeded. This meets all requirements natively without additional automation or custom scripting.

Answer

Azure Policy with a built-in policy definition to enforce spending limits

Answer

Azure Advisor cost recommendations

Answer

Azure Resource Graph queries triggered by Azure Automation runbooks on a schedule

Question 4

A company uses Azure Policy to require that all storage accounts must have blob soft delete enabled. They also want to automatically create a remediation task that fixes any existing non-compliant storage accounts. Which policy effect should they include in the policy definition to achieve automatic remediation?

Accepted Answer

DeployIfNotExists. The DeployIfNotExists effect is designed to automatically remediate non-compliant resources by deploying a defined template (e.g., enabling blob soft delete) when the resource is evaluated as non-compliant. This effect triggers a remediation task that can be run on existing resources, ensuring all storage accounts meet the policy requirement without manual intervention.

Answer

Deny

Answer

Audit

Answer

Append

Question 5

A company is migrating its on-premises virtual machines (VMs) to Azure using the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model. The VMs run a custom legacy application that requires specific OS-level configurations. The company's IT team wants to understand which party is responsible for applying operating system security patches after the migration. According to the shared responsibility model, who is responsible for patching the OS of the Azure VMs?

Accepted Answer

The company is responsible for patching the operating system on the virtual machines.. In the shared responsibility model for IaaS, the customer retains control over the operating system, including applying security patches. Microsoft manages the physical host, hypervisor, and Azure infrastructure, but the customer is responsible for OS-level configurations and updates on their virtual machines. This applies to both Windows and Linux VMs, regardless of whether the OS is provided by Azure or the customer.

Answer

Microsoft is fully responsible for applying OS patches to the virtual machines.

Answer

Responsibility is shared equally between Microsoft and the company for OS patching.

Answer

Responsibility depends on whether the VM uses Windows or Linux; Microsoft patches Windows VMs and the company patches Linux VMs.

Question 6

A company has a legacy on-premises application that processes sensitive financial data. Due to regulatory requirements, certain data cannot leave the company's on-premises data center. However, the company wants to take advantage of the cloud's scalability for the application's compute-intensive batch processing jobs. The batch jobs need to access the sensitive data but must process it without the data ever being stored in the cloud. The batch jobs will be orchestrated from the cloud. Which cloud deployment model best describes this architecture?

Accepted Answer

Hybrid cloud. This architecture is a hybrid cloud because it combines on-premises infrastructure (where sensitive data resides and must remain) with public cloud resources (for compute-intensive batch processing). The batch jobs are orchestrated from the cloud but access the sensitive data on-premises without storing it in the cloud, which is a classic hybrid deployment pattern. Hybrid cloud enables workload portability and orchestration across private and public environments while meeting data residency and regulatory requirements.

Answer

Public cloud

Answer

Private cloud

Answer

Multi-cloud

Question 7

A company is migrating a legacy application to Azure. The application stores data on a network file share that is accessed using the SMB protocol. After migration, multiple Azure virtual machines must be able to mount the same file share simultaneously. The company wants a fully managed service that eliminates the need to maintain a file server. Which Azure storage service should the company use?

Accepted Answer

Azure Files. Azure Files provides fully managed file shares that use the SMB protocol, allowing multiple Azure VMs to mount the same share simultaneously. It eliminates the need to maintain a file server because Microsoft handles the underlying infrastructure, patching, and high availability. This makes it the ideal choice for migrating legacy applications that rely on SMB-based network file shares.

Answer

Azure Blob Storage

Answer

Azure Managed Disks

Answer

Azure Queue Storage

Question 8

A company uses Azure Policy to enforce that all virtual machines must have the Azure Monitor agent extension installed. The policy is assigned to a subscription and uses the 'DeployIfNotExists' effect, which automatically installs the agent on new VMs. However, the security team notices that several existing VMs are non-compliant because they were provisioned before the policy was assigned. The team wants to automatically make these existing VMs compliant without manual intervention. What should the team do?

Accepted Answer

Create a remediation task for the policy assignment.. A remediation task on a 'DeployIfNotExists' policy assignment triggers the policy engine to evaluate existing non-compliant resources and automatically deploy the required extension (Azure Monitor agent) to those VMs. This is the designed mechanism to bring pre-existing resources into compliance without manual intervention.

Answer

Change the policy effect to 'Deny'.

Answer

Assign the policy at the management group scope.

Answer

Use Azure Automation Update Management.

Question 9

A company wants to synchronize files between multiple on-premises Windows file servers and Azure Blob Storage for backup and centralized access. Which Azure service BEST enables this?

Accepted Answer

Azure Blob Storage with AzCopy. AzCopy is a command-line utility designed for copying data to and from Azure Blob Storage, and it supports synchronization features like incremental sync and filtering. While it is not a fully managed continuous sync service, it is the only option among the listed choices that directly addresses the requirement to synchronize files with Azure Blob Storage. Azure File Sync syncs with Azure Files (SMB file shares), not Blob Storage. Azure Data Box is for offline data transfer, and Storage Explorer is a GUI management tool, neither of which provides synchronization.

Answer

Azure File Sync

Answer

Azure Data Box

Answer

Azure Storage Explorer

Question 10

Which Azure service provides recommendations for improving the security posture of your Azure SQL databases?

Accepted Answer

Microsoft Defender for SQL. Microsoft Defender for SQL (formerly Azure Defender for SQL) provides security assessments and actionable recommendations to improve the security posture of Azure SQL databases. It identifies vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and potential threats, then offers remediation steps directly in the Azure Security Center or Microsoft Defender for Cloud interface.

Answer

Azure SQL Auditing

Answer

Azure Key Vault for SQL

Answer

Azure Monitor SQL Insights

Question 11

Which Azure service enables businesses to migrate and modernize their SQL Server databases to the cloud with built-in intelligence?

Accepted Answer

Azure SQL Database. Azure SQL Database is a fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offering specifically designed for SQL Server workloads. It provides built-in intelligence features such as automatic tuning, performance insights, and advanced threat protection, making it the correct service for migrating and modernizing SQL Server databases to the cloud.

Answer

Azure Cosmos DB

Answer

Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Answer

Azure Synapse Analytics

Question 12

A multinational company has 10 Azure subscriptions, each managed by a different department. The central governance team wants to deploy a standardized environment that includes a specific network topology (virtual network, subnets, and network security groups), a set of Azure Policy definitions to enforce tagging and encryption, and a role assignment granting the 'Reader' role to a central security team in every subscription. The team must be able to update this standard definition in one place, and any changes should automatically apply to all existing deployments that were created from the definition. Which Azure service should they use?

Accepted Answer

Azure Blueprints. Azure Blueprints is the correct choice because it enables the central governance team to define a repeatable, versioned environment that includes network topology, Azure Policy definitions, and role assignments. Blueprints support versioning and automatic updates: when a blueprint is updated and published, existing blueprint assignments can be upgraded to apply the new definitions to all deployed resources, ensuring consistency across all 10 subscriptions.

Answer

Azure Policy

Answer

Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates

Answer

Azure Management Groups

Question 13

A retail company runs an e-commerce application on Azure. During the holiday season, the application experiences a sudden 10x increase in traffic. The company uses Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets configured with autoscale rules based on CPU usage. The application automatically adds virtual machines during the peak and removes them when traffic subsides. Which benefit of cloud computing does this configuration primarily demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

Elasticity. This configuration demonstrates elasticity, which is the ability of a cloud system to automatically scale resources up or down based on demand. Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets with autoscale rules based on CPU usage dynamically add VMs during traffic spikes and remove them when traffic subsides, directly matching resource allocation to workload requirements. This is a core benefit of cloud computing that enables cost efficiency and performance optimization without manual intervention.

Answer

High availability

Answer

Fault tolerance

Answer

Latency-based routing

Question 14

What does 'high availability' mean in the context of cloud computing?

Accepted Answer

A system's ability to remain operational with minimal downtime. High availability in cloud computing refers to a system's ability to remain operational and accessible with minimal downtime, typically measured in terms of uptime percentage (e.g., 99.99% availability). This is achieved through redundant infrastructure, failover mechanisms, and service-level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee a certain level of continuity. Option B directly captures this core definition, distinguishing it from other cloud concepts like scalability or geo-replication.

Answer

The ability to deploy resources globally across multiple regions

Answer

The ability to automatically scale resources based on demand

Answer

Storing data in multiple geographic locations

Question 15

A company runs a web application on Azure App Service. During a marketing campaign, the application's traffic surges to five times its normal level. The application is configured to automatically add more instances to handle the increased load and then remove them when demand returns to normal. This ability to dynamically provision and de-provision resources based on real-time demand is a direct example of which cloud computing characteristic?

Accepted Answer

Elasticity. The scenario describes automatically adding and removing App Service instances in response to real-time traffic spikes, which is the definition of elasticity. Elasticity is the ability to dynamically scale resources up or down to match demand, ensuring you only pay for what you use. In Azure, this is implemented via autoscale rules that adjust the instance count based on metrics like CPU or request queue length.

Answer

Scalability

Answer

High availability

Answer

Fault tolerance

Question 16

A company is evaluating moving their workloads to Azure. They currently operate a small on-premises data center. Their IT manager notes that by using Azure, they will benefit from the fact that Microsoft operates many large data centers globally, which allows them to achieve lower network bandwidth costs and hardware procurement discounts. The company will not have to negotiate separate contracts for power and cooling. Which cloud computing concept does this benefit best illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Economies of scale. The scenario describes how Microsoft's global scale of operations—operating many large data centers—enables lower network bandwidth costs and hardware procurement discounts, and eliminates the need for separate power and cooling contracts. This directly illustrates economies of scale, where the average cost per unit decreases as the scale of operations increases, allowing Microsoft to pass these savings to customers. It is not about technical capabilities like availability, elasticity, or agility, but about the cost advantage derived from massive infrastructure investment.

Answer

High availability

Answer

Elasticity

Answer

Agility

Question 17

A company migrates its on-premises SQL Server database to Azure SQL Database. The company's security team is concerned about who is responsible for applying security updates to the operating system that hosts the database engine. According to the shared responsibility model for cloud computing, who is responsible for patching the operating system of the underlying host?

Accepted Answer

Microsoft (Azure). In the shared responsibility model for Azure SQL Database, Microsoft is responsible for the underlying infrastructure, including the operating system that hosts the database engine. Azure SQL Database is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering, where Microsoft manages the host OS, applies security patches, and ensures the physical and virtual environment is secure. The customer is only responsible for data, access management, and database-level configurations.

Answer

The company (customer)

Answer

Both the company and Microsoft share this responsibility

Answer

A third-party managed service provider

Question 18

A company wants to protect their application against a failure that affects an entire data center within an Azure region. Which feature should they use to distribute their VMs across multiple physical locations within that region?

Accepted Answer

Availability Zones. Availability Zones are physically separate locations (each with independent power, cooling, and networking) within an Azure region. By deploying VMs across multiple zones, the application is protected from a failure that affects an entire data center, because each zone is a distinct data center or set of data centers.

Answer

Availability Set

Answer

Azure Site Recovery

Answer

Azure Load Balancer

Question 19

Which Azure service provides a way to enforce organizational standards and assess compliance at scale across Azure resources?

Accepted Answer

Azure Policy. Azure Policy is the service designed to enforce organizational standards and assess compliance at scale. It evaluates Azure resources against business rules and provides a compliance dashboard showing which resources are compliant or non-compliant. Policies can deny resource creation, audit changes, or deploy missing configurations, ensuring governance across subscriptions.

Answer

Azure RBAC

Answer

Azure Blueprints

Answer

Azure Advisor

Question 20

Which cloud computing benefit specifically refers to customers being able to access the latest technology without managing upgrades?

Accepted Answer

Always-current technology without customer-managed upgrades. One of the key benefits of cloud computing is that the cloud provider handles all hardware and software updates, patches, and version upgrades. Customers always have access to the latest features, security fixes, and performance improvements without needing to plan, test, or execute upgrade cycles themselves. This is a core value proposition of the consumption-based model, shifting operational overhead to the provider.

Answer

Economies of scale

Answer

Geographic distribution of data centers

Answer

Predictable billing with reserved capacity