The answer is to use Azure Site Recovery to replicate VMs to a secondary region and Azure SQL Database geo-replication for the database. This combination meets the 1-hour RPO because Azure Site Recovery supports replication intervals as low as 30 seconds for VMs, while active geo-replication for Azure SQL Database provides an RPO of seconds by continuously copying transactions to a readable secondary. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between backup (higher RPO) and replication (lower RPO) services, and it often appears as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose Azure Backup or read-scale replicas. The key insight is that Azure Site Recovery is designed for orchestrated failover of VMs with low RPO, whereas geo-replication handles database continuity independently. A helpful memory tip: think of Site Recovery as “site-level failover” and geo-replication as “data-level failover” — together they cover the full stack for disaster recovery for VMs and SQL database.
AZ-305 Design infrastructure solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design infrastructure solutions. 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.
A company is designing a disaster recovery solution for a critical application that runs on Azure VMs in a single region. The RTO is 4 hours, and the RPO is 1 hour. The application uses Azure SQL Database. The company wants to minimize the cost of the disaster recovery solution while meeting the RTO and RPO. You need to recommend a solution. What should you recommend?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Azure Site Recovery to replicate VMs to a secondary region and Azure SQL Database geo-replication for the database.
Option C is correct because Azure Site Recovery can replicate VMs to a secondary region with a 1-hour RPO, and Azure SQL Database active geo-replication can provide a secondary database with RPO of seconds. Option A is wrong because Azure Backup has a higher RPO (typically 4 hours). Option B is wrong because read-scale replicas are for read-only workloads, not disaster recovery. Option D is wrong because Traffic Manager does not handle database failover.
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.
✗
Use Azure SQL Database active geo-replication for the database and Azure Backup for VMs.
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication is for read-scale, not disaster recovery.
✗
Use Azure Backup to back up VMs and Azure SQL Database to a secondary region.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Backup has a higher RPO than 1 hour.
✗
Use Azure Traffic Manager to distribute traffic to VMs in multiple regions and Azure SQL Database failover groups.
Use Azure Site Recovery to replicate VMs to a secondary region and Azure SQL Database geo-replication for the database.
Why this is correct
Site Recovery meets RPO of 1 hour; geo-replication provides low RPO for SQL.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Identify which AZ-305 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Design infrastructure solutions — This question tests Design infrastructure solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Azure Site Recovery to replicate VMs to a secondary region and Azure SQL Database geo-replication for the database. — Option C is correct because Azure Site Recovery can replicate VMs to a secondary region with a 1-hour RPO, and Azure SQL Database active geo-replication can provide a secondary database with RPO of seconds. Option A is wrong because Azure Backup has a higher RPO (typically 4 hours). Option B is wrong because read-scale replicas are for read-only workloads, not disaster recovery. Option D is wrong because Traffic Manager does not handle database failover.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Identify which AZ-305 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 →
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 multinational corporation is designing a disaster recovery strategy for a critical application running on Azure VMs. The application must have a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 15 minutes and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 1 hour. The primary region is East US, and the secondary region is West US. The solution must minimize costs while meeting the requirements. What should you recommend?
hard
A.Deploy an active-passive configuration with Azure Front Door and Traffic Manager
✓ B.Implement Azure Site Recovery for the VMs
C.Configure the VMs in an availability zone across East US and West US
D.Use Azure Backup with cross-region restore for the VMs
Why B: Azure Site Recovery provides orchestrated replication with RPO as low as 15 minutes and RTO of minutes. It is the most cost-effective option for VM-level DR.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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This AZ-305 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-305 exam.
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