- A
Locally redundant storage (LRS), because it protects against a single disk failure inside one datacenter.
Why wrong: LRS keeps multiple copies within one datacenter only. It helps with local hardware failures, but it does not protect the workload if an entire zone becomes unavailable.
- B
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS), because it replicates data across zones in the same region.
ZRS stores copies of the data across multiple availability zones in the same region. That design helps the account remain available during a zone outage without requiring a paired region or secondary read access.
- C
Geo-redundant storage (GRS), because it automatically provides the lowest-cost cross-region protection.
Why wrong: GRS does replicate to a secondary region, but that is more than the requirement calls for. The scenario specifically asks for resilience to a zone failure, not region-level replication.
- D
Geo-zone-redundant storage (GZRS), because it is required whenever zone resilience is needed.
Why wrong: GZRS provides stronger protection by combining zone replication with geo-replication. It is useful in some designs, but the question only requires surviving a zone outage inside one region.
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
A finance team stores monthly invoice PDFs in Azure and wants the data to remain available if an entire availability zone in the region fails. They do not need read access to a secondary region, and they want to keep the storage service simple. Which redundancy option should they choose for the storage account?
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
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS), because it replicates data across zones in the same region.
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within the same region, ensuring durability even if an entire zone fails. This meets the requirement for intra-region zone failure protection without needing a secondary region, and it keeps the storage service simple by avoiding the complexity of geo-replication.
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.
- ✗
Locally redundant storage (LRS), because it protects against a single disk failure inside one datacenter.
Why it's wrong here
LRS keeps multiple copies within one datacenter only. It helps with local hardware failures, but it does not protect the workload if an entire zone becomes unavailable.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where the requirement is to protect against a single disk failure within a datacenter, with no need for zone or region resilience, and cost is the primary concern.
- ✓
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS), because it replicates data across zones in the same region.
Why this is correct
ZRS stores copies of the data across multiple availability zones in the same region. That design helps the account remain available during a zone outage without requiring a paired region or secondary read access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Geo-redundant storage (GRS), because it automatically provides the lowest-cost cross-region protection.
Why it's wrong here
GRS does replicate to a secondary region, but that is more than the requirement calls for. The scenario specifically asks for resilience to a zone failure, not region-level replication.
When this WOULD be correct
A company requires data to remain available during a region-wide outage and can tolerate a short failover time, but does not need zone-level resilience within the primary region. The question would specify a need for cross-region disaster recovery at the lowest cost.
- ✗
Geo-zone-redundant storage (GZRS), because it is required whenever zone resilience is needed.
Why it's wrong here
GZRS provides stronger protection by combining zone replication with geo-replication. It is useful in some designs, but the question only requires surviving a zone outage inside one region.
When this WOULD be correct
A company requires both zone-level resilience within the primary region and cross-region disaster recovery for compliance purposes, and they are willing to accept the higher cost and complexity. For example, a healthcare provider storing patient records that must survive a regional outage.
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.
✓Zone-redundant storage (ZRS), because it replicates data across zones in the same region.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
ZRS stores copies of the data across multiple availability zones in the same region. That design helps the account remain available during a zone outage without requiring a paired region or secondary read access.
✗Locally redundant storage (LRS), because it protects against a single disk failure inside one datacenter.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
LRS only replicates data within a single datacenter, so it does not protect against an entire availability zone failure, which is the requirement in this question.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where the requirement is to protect against a single disk failure within a datacenter, with no need for zone or region resilience, and cost is the primary concern.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'zone failure' with 'disk failure' or assume LRS provides sufficient protection for simple storage needs, overlooking the specific requirement for zone resilience.
✗Geo-redundant storage (GRS), because it automatically provides the lowest-cost cross-region protection.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GRS replicates data to a secondary region, which the question explicitly says is not needed, and it does not protect against an entire availability zone failure within the primary region.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company requires data to remain available during a region-wide outage and can tolerate a short failover time, but does not need zone-level resilience within the primary region. The question would specify a need for cross-region disaster recovery at the lowest cost.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly believe GRS is the cheapest option that provides any redundancy beyond LRS, or they confuse 'geo' with 'zone' and assume it covers zone failures.
✗Geo-zone-redundant storage (GZRS), because it is required whenever zone resilience is needed.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GZRS is not required for zone resilience; ZRS already provides zone-level redundancy within a single region. GZRS adds geo-replication to a secondary region, which the question explicitly states is not needed, and it is more complex and costly.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company requires both zone-level resilience within the primary region and cross-region disaster recovery for compliance purposes, and they are willing to accept the higher cost and complexity. For example, a healthcare provider storing patient records that must survive a regional outage.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that any mention of 'zone' requires the 'zone' in GZRS, or they overestimate the need for geo-redundancy, assuming more redundancy is always better without considering cost and simplicity requirements.
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 often confuse 'zone failure' with 'regional failure' and incorrectly choose GRS or GZRS, overlooking that ZRS provides sufficient protection within a single region at lower cost and complexity.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
GRS does replicate to a secondary region, but that is more than the requirement calls for. The scenario specifically asks for resilience to a zone failure, not region-level replication.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ZRS uses synchronous replication across three distinct availability zones, each with independent power, cooling, and networking, providing a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of zero and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of minutes for a zone failure. Under the hood, Azure Storage uses a distributed file system with a write-acknowledgment quorum across zones, ensuring data consistency without the latency of cross-region replication. In a real-world scenario, if a finance team stores monthly invoice PDFs and a zone goes offline due to a power outage, ZRS ensures all data remains accessible from the remaining zones without manual failover.
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
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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: Zone-redundant storage (ZRS), because it replicates data across zones in the same region. — Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within the same region, ensuring durability even if an entire zone fails. This meets the requirement for intra-region zone failure protection without needing a secondary region, and it keeps the storage service simple by avoiding the complexity of geo-replication.
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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