- A
LRS
LRS provides redundancy within a single datacenter at the lowest cost.
- B
ZRS
Why wrong: ZRS replicates across availability zones and is more expensive than needed.
- C
GRS
Why wrong: GRS replicates to a paired region, which exceeds the requirement and adds cost.
- D
GZRS
Why wrong: GZRS provides both zone and geo redundancy and is the most expensive option listed.
Question 299 of 1,170
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
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?
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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 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.
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 replicates to a paired region, which exceeds the requirement and adds cost.
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 provides both zone and geo redundancy and is the most expensive option listed.
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 provides redundancy within a single datacenter at the lowest cost.
✗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?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Implement and Manage Storage — This question tests Implement and Manage Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
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.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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