Quick Answer
The answer is Locally Redundant Storage (LRS). LRS provides the lowest cost storage redundancy by replicating your data three times within a single physical datacenter in the same region, which directly protects against local disk or server failures but offers no defense against a full datacenter outage. On the AZ-104 exam, this choice tests your understanding of the trade-off between cost and durability: LRS is the cheapest option because it sacrifices zone-level and region-level protection, making it ideal for non-critical, easily reproducible data. A common trap is confusing LRS with Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS), which costs more because it replicates across multiple availability zones. Remember the memory tip: “LRS = Lowest Redundancy Spend” — if the question emphasizes “lowest cost” and “single datacenter,” always pick LRS.
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
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?
LRS
LRS provides redundancy within a single datacenter at the lowest cost.
ZRS
Why wrong: ZRS replicates across availability zones and is more expensive than needed.
GRS
Why wrong: GRS replicates to a paired region, which exceeds the requirement and adds cost.
GZRS
Why wrong: GZRS provides both zone and geo redundancy and is the most expensive option listed.
Answer choices
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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
LRS
Why this is correct
LRS provides redundancy within a single datacenter at the lowest cost.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
ZRS
Why it's wrong here
ZRS replicates across availability zones and is more expensive than needed.
GRS
Why it's wrong here
GRS replicates to a paired region, which exceeds the requirement and adds cost.
GZRS
Why it's wrong here
GZRS provides both zone and geo redundancy and is the most expensive option listed.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may 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.
Detailed technical explanation
LRS uses three synchronous replicas within a single storage scale unit in one datacenter, ensuring data durability of at least 11 nines (99.999999999%) over a given year. However, LRS does not protect against a datacenter-wide disaster (e.g., fire, flooding), so it is suitable only for non-critical data that can be regenerated or is easily recoverable from other sources. In practice, LRS is often used for transient data, logs, or development/test environments where cost savings outweigh the risk of total datacenter loss.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
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FAQ
Implement and Manage Storage — This question tests Implement and Manage Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: 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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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