hardMultiple Choice
FC0-U71 Practice Question: A data center administrator is considering…
A data center administrator is considering virtualization to consolidate multiple physical servers. Which of the following is the PRIMARY benefit of using virtual machines in this environment?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often mistake a desirable outcome (reduced hardware count) for the primary technical benefit, when the exam expects the underlying principle of resource utilization efficiency.
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
✓
Better utilization of physical hardware resources
The primary benefit of virtualization in a data center is better utilization of physical hardware resources. By running multiple virtual machines on a single physical host, the hypervisor allows the underlying CPU, memory, and storage to be shared efficiently, reducing idle capacity and maximizing the return on hardware investment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reduction in the total amount of physical hardware needed
Why it's wrong here
Consolidation does reduce physical servers, but that is a downstream effect of abstracting workloads from hardware, not the primary benefit. The primary benefit is raising hardware utilisation by running multiple isolated virtual machines on one host, which is what the scenario targets.
- ✗
Increased performance for each application
Why it's wrong here
Virtual machines share physical CPU, memory and I/O through a hypervisor, so per-application performance typically drops rather than rises. Increased performance would be the aim when replacing older hardware with newer, faster physical servers, not when consolidating workloads onto shared hosts.
- ✗
Improved security by isolating applications
Why it's wrong here
Hypervisor isolation is a real property, but it is a secondary consideration here, not the primary driver. Improved security would be the deciding factor when consolidating workloads of differing trust levels onto shared hardware, which the stem does not describe.
- ✓
Better utilization of physical hardware resources
Why this is correct
Virtual machines share one physical host's CPU, memory, and storage across many guests, raising utilisation from the low levels typical of one-application-per-server sprawl. This consolidation directly satisfies the stem's primary benefit, whereas redundancy, isolation, and portability are secondary outcomes.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This FC0-U71 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 FC0-U71 exam.