- A
Azure Site Recovery for VMs and active geo-replication with auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Database
ASR replicates VMs to the secondary region with low RPO, and active geo-replication with auto-failover groups provides database failover with RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of under 1 hour.
- B
Azure Backup for VMs and Azure SQL Database backup to another region
Why wrong: Backup provides RPO of hours and RTO of minutes to hours, not suitable for 5-minute RPO and 1-hour RTO.
- C
Azure Site Recovery for VMs and Azure DNS for database failover
Why wrong: Azure DNS does not replicate the database; it only manages DNS records.
- D
Azure Load Balancer for VMs and Azure SQL Database failover groups
Why wrong: Load Balancer does not provide replication; failover groups need active geo-replication.
AZ-305 Design business continuity solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design business continuity 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. A key principle to apply: azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication for Azure VMs.. 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 runs a critical application on Azure VMs in a single region. The application uses Azure SQL Database as its data store. The company needs a disaster recovery solution that can fail over the entire application stack (VMs and database) to another region with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 5 minutes and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 1 hour. The solution must be automated and minimize manual steps. Which combination of Azure services should they implement?
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 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
Azure Site Recovery for VMs and active geo-replication with auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Database
Azure Site Recovery (ASR) orchestrates replication and automated failover of Azure VMs to a secondary region, meeting the RTO of 1 hour. Active geo-replication with auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Database provides a readable secondary replica in another region with an RPO of 5 seconds (well under the 5-minute requirement) and enables automatic failover without manual intervention. Together, they automate the entire application stack failover, minimizing manual steps.
Key principle: Azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication for Azure VMs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Azure Site Recovery for VMs and active geo-replication with auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Database
Why this is correct
ASR replicates VMs to the secondary region with low RPO, and active geo-replication with auto-failover groups provides database failover with RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of under 1 hour.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication for Azure VMs.
- ✗
Azure Backup for VMs and Azure SQL Database backup to another region
Why it's wrong here
Backup provides RPO of hours and RTO of minutes to hours, not suitable for 5-minute RPO and 1-hour RTO.
- ✗
Azure Site Recovery for VMs and Azure DNS for database failover
Why it's wrong here
Azure DNS does not replicate the database; it only manages DNS records.
- ✗
Azure Load Balancer for VMs and Azure SQL Database failover groups
Why it's wrong here
Load Balancer does not provide replication; failover groups need active geo-replication.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Backup (which is for data recovery, not failover) with Azure Site Recovery (which is for full-stack disaster recovery), or they assume DNS or load balancers alone can handle database failover without understanding that database replication is required first.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Site Recovery uses continuous replication with crash-consistent and app-consistent snapshots, achieving an RPO as low as 30 seconds for VMs. Active geo-replication for Azure SQL Database commits transactions to the primary and asynchronously replicates to up to four secondaries, with an RPO of typically 5 seconds; auto-failover groups monitor the primary and trigger failover based on a grace period (default 1 hour, configurable down to 1 minute). In a real-world scenario, if the primary region fails, ASR automatically orchestrates VM failover while the auto-failover group promotes the secondary database, ensuring the application stack is restored within the RTO.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication for Azure VMs.
- ASR orchestrates failover and failback of VMs to a secondary region.
- Azure SQL Database active geo-replication creates readable secondary databases.
- Auto-failover groups automate failover for Azure SQL Databases, including listener updates.
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
Azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication for Azure VMs.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication for Azure VMs., then practise related AZ-305 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
- →
Design business continuity solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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Design business continuity solutions practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
Design business continuity solutions — This question tests Design business continuity solutions — Azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication for Azure VMs..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Site Recovery for VMs and active geo-replication with auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Database — Azure Site Recovery (ASR) orchestrates replication and automated failover of Azure VMs to a secondary region, meeting the RTO of 1 hour. Active geo-replication with auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Database provides a readable secondary replica in another region with an RPO of 5 seconds (well under the 5-minute requirement) and enables automatic failover without manual intervention. Together, they automate the entire application stack failover, minimizing manual steps.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Review azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication for Azure VMs., then practise related AZ-305 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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?
Azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication for Azure VMs.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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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