- A
Locally redundant storage (LRS)
Why wrong: LRS keeps multiple copies in one datacenter, which does not protect against a zone outage.
- B
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
ZRS keeps synchronous copies across multiple availability zones in the same region, which helps the storage remain available during a single-zone failure.
- C
Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Why wrong: GRS replicates to a secondary region, but the question asks specifically about resilience to one zone outage.
- D
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
Why wrong: RA-GRS adds read access to the secondary region, but the key requirement here is zone-level availability in one region.
Question 357 of 1,170
Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) — Protect Against Zone Failure
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 company stores customer documents in Azure Blob Storage. The business requires the data to stay available if one availability zone in the region has an outage. Which redundancy option should the administrator 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
✓
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within a primary region, ensuring data remains accessible if one zone fails. This meets the requirement for intra-region zone-level fault tolerance without the cost or 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)
Why it's wrong here
LRS keeps multiple copies in one datacenter, which does not protect against a zone outage.
When this WOULD be correct
LRS would be correct if the requirement is to protect against server rack or disk failures within a single datacenter, and cost minimization is prioritized over zone-level resilience.
- ✓
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
Why this is correct
ZRS keeps synchronous copies across multiple availability zones in the same region, which helps the storage remain available during a single-zone failure.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Why it's wrong here
GRS replicates to a secondary region, but the question asks specifically about resilience to one zone outage.
When this WOULD be correct
A company requires data to survive a complete regional outage (e.g., due to a natural disaster) and can tolerate a longer recovery time. The question would specify 'region failure' instead of 'availability zone failure'.
- ✗
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
Why it's wrong here
RA-GRS adds read access to the secondary region, but the key requirement here is zone-level availability in one region.
When this WOULD be correct
RA-GRS would be correct if the question required data to remain available during a region-wide outage and also needed read access to the secondary region for disaster recovery or compliance purposes, such as 'A company needs to ensure data is readable from a secondary region if the primary region fails.'
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)Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
ZRS keeps synchronous copies across multiple availability zones in the same region, which helps the storage remain available during a single-zone failure.
✗Locally redundant storage (LRS)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
LRS replicates data within a single availability zone, so it cannot survive an entire zone outage, which is the requirement in this question.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
LRS would be correct if the requirement is to protect against server rack or disk failures within a single datacenter, and cost minimization is prioritized over zone-level resilience.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse LRS as sufficient because it provides local redundancy, overlooking that it does not span multiple zones, which is needed for zone outage protection.
✗Geo-redundant storage (GRS)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Geo-redundant storage (GRS) replicates data to a secondary region, not within the same region's availability zones. It protects against region-wide outages, not zone failures within a single region.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company requires data to survive a complete regional outage (e.g., due to a natural disaster) and can tolerate a longer recovery time. The question would specify 'region failure' instead of 'availability zone failure'.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'redundancy' with 'geo-redundancy', assuming that any multi-site replication provides zone-level protection, or they may over-engineer the solution without reading the requirement for zone-specific resilience.
✗Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
RA-GRS provides read access to a secondary region, but the question requires availability during an availability zone outage within the same region, not a regional disaster. RA-GRS does not protect against zone failures because it relies on regional replication, not zone-level redundancy.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
RA-GRS would be correct if the question required data to remain available during a region-wide outage and also needed read access to the secondary region for disaster recovery or compliance purposes, such as 'A company needs to ensure data is readable from a secondary region if the primary region fails.'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'availability zone outage' with 'regional outage' and think RA-GRS offers higher availability, or they may overvalue the read-access feature without considering the specific failure scenario described.
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 redundancy' with 'geo-redundancy' and pick GRS or RA-GRS, not realizing that those options protect against region-wide outages, not zone-level failures within a single region.
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, guaranteeing a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of zero and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of minutes for zone failures. Under the hood, Azure Storage stamps in each zone maintain separate copies, and the front-end layer handles automatic failover to healthy zones. In a real-world scenario, if a regional event like a power grid failure takes down one zone, ZRS ensures continued read and write access without manual intervention, whereas LRS would require restoring from a backup.
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.
Quick reference
Azure Blob Storage Tier Comparison
| Tier | Storage Cost | Retrieval Cost | Latency | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot | Highest | Lowest | Immediate | Active data, frequent reads |
| Cool | Lower | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / month |
| Cold | Lower still | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / quarter |
| Archive | Lowest | Highest + rehydration delay | Hours | Long-term compliance retention |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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Implement and Manage Storage — study guide chapter
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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) — Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within a primary region, ensuring data remains accessible if one zone fails. This meets the requirement for intra-region zone-level fault tolerance without the cost or 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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on AZ-104
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company hosts documents in Azure Blob Storage. The files must remain available if one availability zone in the region fails. Which redundancy option should the administrator choose?
easy- A.LRS, because it keeps three copies within one datacenter.
- ✓ B.ZRS, because it stores copies across multiple availability zones in the region.
- C.GRS, because it automatically makes the account available in another region for reads.
- D.RA-GRS, because it is the only option that keeps a secondary copy.
Why B: B is correct because Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) synchronously replicates data across three Azure availability zones within a primary region, ensuring data remains accessible if one zone fails. This meets the requirement for high availability within a single region without relying on a secondary region.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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