- A
Deploy AKS clusters in two regions, use Azure Front Door to route traffic, and configure Azure Cosmos DB with multiple write regions and automatic failover.
Cosmos DB multi-region writes provide RPO=0; AKS with Front Door enables instant traffic switching.
- B
Deploy AKS clusters in two regions, use Azure Traffic Manager with priority routing, and configure Azure Cosmos DB with a single write region and a readable secondary.
Why wrong: Traffic Manager has DNS propagation delay; readable secondary does not support writes.
- C
Deploy AKS clusters across availability zones in one region, use Azure Load Balancer, and configure Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication.
Why wrong: Single region does not protect against regional outage; SQL RPO is not 0.
- D
Deploy AKS clusters in two regions, use Azure Front Door, and configure Azure Cosmos DB with a single write region and manual failover.
Why wrong: Manual failover increases RTO beyond 5 seconds.
Quick Answer
The correct design deploys AKS clusters in two regions with Azure Front Door for traffic routing and Azure Cosmos DB configured for multi-region writes with automatic failover. This combination achieves an RPO of zero seconds because Cosmos DB’s multi-region writes synchronously replicate every write to all configured regions, ensuring no data loss, while automatic failover completes within seconds to meet the sub-five-second RTO. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to pair stateless compute (AKS) with a stateful, globally distributed database to meet stringent business continuity requirements, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose Azure Traffic Manager—which lacks instant failover—or opt for manual failover, which violates the RTO. The key insight is that Cosmos DB’s multi-region writes are the only Azure database service offering true zero RPO across regions, making it the linchpin of this design. Memory tip: “Front Door for traffic, Cosmos for zero loss—automatic failover, no manual toss.”
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. 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 runs a critical financial application on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) in a single region. The application uses Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL with multiple write regions. You need to design a business continuity solution that meets an RPO of 0 seconds and an RTO of less than 5 seconds for a regional outage. The solution must be cost-optimized. What should you include in the design?
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
Deploy AKS clusters in two regions, use Azure Front Door to route traffic, and configure Azure Cosmos DB with multiple write regions and automatic failover.
Option A is correct because AKS can be deployed across Azure regions with Azure Front Door for global load balancing; Cosmos DB multi-region writes provide RPO=0 and automatic failover within seconds. Option B uses Azure Traffic Manager which does not provide instant failover. Option C uses Azure SQL Database which does not offer RPO=0 across regions. Option D uses manual failover which increases RTO.
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.
- ✓
Deploy AKS clusters in two regions, use Azure Front Door to route traffic, and configure Azure Cosmos DB with multiple write regions and automatic failover.
Why this is correct
Cosmos DB multi-region writes provide RPO=0; AKS with Front Door enables instant traffic switching.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Deploy AKS clusters in two regions, use Azure Traffic Manager with priority routing, and configure Azure Cosmos DB with a single write region and a readable secondary.
Why it's wrong here
Traffic Manager has DNS propagation delay; readable secondary does not support writes.
- ✗
Deploy AKS clusters across availability zones in one region, use Azure Load Balancer, and configure Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication.
Why it's wrong here
Single region does not protect against regional outage; SQL RPO is not 0.
- ✗
Deploy AKS clusters in two regions, use Azure Front Door, and configure Azure Cosmos DB with a single write region and manual failover.
Why it's wrong here
Manual failover increases RTO beyond 5 seconds.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
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Design business continuity solutions — study guide chapter
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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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy AKS clusters in two regions, use Azure Front Door to route traffic, and configure Azure Cosmos DB with multiple write regions and automatic failover. — Option A is correct because AKS can be deployed across Azure regions with Azure Front Door for global load balancing; Cosmos DB multi-region writes provide RPO=0 and automatic failover within seconds. Option B uses Azure Traffic Manager which does not provide instant failover. Option C uses Azure SQL Database which does not offer RPO=0 across regions. Option D uses manual failover which increases RTO.
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.
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-305
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. Your company has a critical application that uses Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) in a single region. You need to design a disaster recovery solution that can automatically fail over to a secondary region in the event of a regional outage. The application data is stored in Azure Cosmos DB. What should you do?
medium- A.Use Azure Front Door to route traffic to the primary AKS cluster and enable Cosmos DB automatic failover.
- B.Use Azure Backup for AKS with cross-region restore and Cosmos DB geo-redundancy.
- C.Replicate the AKS cluster to another region using Azure Site Recovery.
- ✓ D.Deploy a secondary AKS cluster in another region, use Azure Traffic Manager for global load balancing, and enable Cosmos DB multi-region writes.
Why D: Option A is correct because AKS can be deployed in multiple regions, and Azure Traffic Manager can direct traffic to the secondary region. Cosmos DB multi-region writes ensure data availability. Option B is wrong because Azure Front Door does not provide AKS failover capability. Option C is wrong because Azure Site Recovery does not support AKS. Option D is wrong because Azure Backup does not provide failover.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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