AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
You need to create a storage account that provides the lowest-cost redundant storage for non-critical data and only needs protection against local disk or server failure within a single datacenter. Which redundancy option should you choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates choose ZRS or GRS thinking they need 'redundancy' without realizing the question specifically limits the scope to local failures within a single datacenter, making LRS the cheapest and sufficient option.
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
✓
LRS
A is correct because Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) replicates data three times within a single datacenter in the same region, protecting against local disk or server failures. It is the lowest-cost redundancy option, making it ideal for non-critical data that does not require protection against zone- or region-level outages.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
LRS
Why this is correct
LRS writes three synchronous copies of your data within a single physical datacenter in the primary region. It provides the cheapest redundancy tier because it does not pay for inter-zone or inter-region replication, protecting only against server and drive failures. For workloads that can tolerate a datacenter-level loss, this is the lowest-cost way to meet a basic redundancy requirement.
- ✗
ZRS
Why it's wrong here
ZRS replicates data synchronously across three availability zones in the same region, each with independent power, cooling, and networking. This adds resiliency against an entire zone failure, but that capability costs more than LRS and is beyond what a 'lowest cost redundant' selection calls for. Azure bills ZRS at a premium over LRS, making it the wrong choice when price is the primary constraint.
When this WOULD be correct
You need to ensure data durability even if an entire availability zone fails, but you do not require geo-replication. For example, a production application that must remain available during a zone-wide outage would use ZRS.
- ✗
GRS
Why it's wrong here
GRS copies data asynchronously to a geographically paired secondary region, protecting against a full regional outage. This geo-redundancy requires additional storage capacity and incurs network transfer and read-access charges, making it noticeably more expensive than LRS. If the stated goal is simply the lowest-cost redundancy option, GRS over-delivers on durability while missing the cost target.
When this WOULD be correct
A question requiring the highest durability for critical data that must survive a regional disaster, with cost being secondary. For example: 'You need to ensure data is preserved even if an entire Azure region fails. Which redundancy option should you choose?'
- ✗
GZRS
Why it's wrong here
GZRS combines zone-redundant and geo-redundant replication: it maintains three synchronous copies across availability zones in the primary region and an additional asynchronous copy in a paired secondary region. This offers the highest durability (16 nines) but also the highest cost of all redundancy models, because it pays for both zone and geo replication. It is the complete opposite of a lowest-cost selection.
When this WOULD be correct
A question requiring maximum durability and availability for critical data, where data must be protected against a regional disaster (e.g., entire region outage) and also against zone-level failures within the primary region. For example: 'You need a storage solution that can withstand a complete regional outage and also provides zone-level redundancy in the primary region.'
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓LRSCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
LRS writes three synchronous copies of your data within a single physical datacenter in the primary region. It provides the cheapest redundancy tier because it does not pay for inter-zone or inter-region replication, protecting only against server and drive failures. For workloads that can tolerate a datacenter-level loss, this is the lowest-cost way to meet a basic redundancy requirement.
✗ZRSWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
ZRS provides synchronous replication across multiple availability zones within a region, which is more expensive than LRS and offers more protection than needed for non-critical data that only requires protection against local disk or server failure within a single datacenter.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
You need to ensure data durability even if an entire availability zone fails, but you do not require geo-replication. For example, a production application that must remain available during a zone-wide outage would use ZRS.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse ZRS with LRS because both replicate within a single region, but ZRS offers higher durability across zones, leading them to over-provision redundancy for non-critical data.
✗GRSWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GRS replicates data to a paired secondary region, providing higher durability but at a higher cost. The question specifies lowest-cost redundancy for non-critical data needing only protection against local failures within a single datacenter, so GRS is overkill and more expensive.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question requiring the highest durability for critical data that must survive a regional disaster, with cost being secondary. For example: 'You need to ensure data is preserved even if an entire Azure region fails. Which redundancy option should you choose?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think GRS is the default or best redundancy option, or they may confuse 'lowest-cost' with 'most durable,' leading them to choose GRS for its higher protection level.
✗GZRSWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GZRS (Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) provides redundancy across multiple datacenters in different regions, which is overkill and more expensive than needed for the requirement of only protecting against local disk or server failure within a single datacenter.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question requiring maximum durability and availability for critical data, where data must be protected against a regional disaster (e.g., entire region outage) and also against zone-level failures within the primary region. For example: 'You need a storage solution that can withstand a complete regional outage and also provides zone-level redundancy in the primary region.'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think GZRS offers the best protection and assume it is the cheapest option for high durability, overlooking the cost implications and the specific requirement for only local failure protection.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
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Key term
LRS
An LRS (Learning Record Store) is a system that collects, stores, and retrieves learning data from various training activities, often used to track progress in IT certification study programs.
Key term
Locally redundant storage
Locally redundant storage (LRS) is a replication strategy that creates multiple synchronous copies of your data within a single data center in one region, protecting against local hardware failures.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-104 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 AZ-104 exam.