- A
Configure Azure Backup on the Azure file share using a Recovery Services vault with geo-redundant storage (GRS). Enable cross-region restore on the vault.
Azure Backup for Azure Files provides daily backups, file-level restore, and versioning. With GRS and cross-region restore enabled, you can restore the entire share to the paired region.
- B
Use Azure File Sync to sync the file share to an on-premises server, and then back up the on-premises server using Azure Backup.
Why wrong: Azure File Sync is for hybrid caching, not for backup. It does not provide automated backups or cross-region restore of the Azure file share itself.
- C
Enable soft delete and versioning on the storage account, and configure replication to a secondary region using RA-GRS.
Why wrong: Soft delete and versioning protect against accidental deletion but do not provide a managed backup service with scheduled backups and cross-region restore. RA-GRS provides read access but not point-in-time restore.
- D
Create a scheduled Azure Automation runbook that takes snapshots of the file share every day and copy them to a storage account in West US.
Why wrong: This custom solution incurs operational overhead and lacks the built-in monitoring, alerting, and restore capabilities of Azure Backup. It also does not provide versioning for individual file restore.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure Azure Backup on the Azure file share using a Recovery Services vault with geo-redundant storage (GRS) and enable cross-region restore. This solution is correct because GRS replicates backup data to a paired secondary region, and enabling cross-region restore on the vault allows you to restore the entire file share to West US during a regional disaster, while Azure Backup automatically protects the share with scheduled backups and provides up to 30 days of retention for point-in-time restores of individual files. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Azure Backup’s native file share protection versus third-party solutions, and a common trap is choosing a storage account with locally redundant storage (LRS) or forgetting to enable the cross-region restore toggle on the vault. Remember the mnemonic “GRS + CRR” — geo-redundant storage plus cross-region restore — to ensure both regional resilience and granular recovery.
AZ-305 Design business continuity solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design business continuity solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 file server on an Azure VM in the East US region. They want to back up the file shares to Azure and be able to restore individual files if accidentally deleted. They also need to be able to restore the entire file share to a secondary region (West US) in case of a regional disaster. The solution should automatically protect the file shares and provide versioning for up to 30 days. Which Azure service and configuration should they recommend?
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
Configure Azure Backup on the Azure file share using a Recovery Services vault with geo-redundant storage (GRS). Enable cross-region restore on the vault.
Azure Backup for Azure file shares uses a Recovery Services vault and can be configured with geo-redundant storage (GRS) to replicate backup data to a paired secondary region. Enabling cross-region restore on the vault allows restoring the entire file share to the secondary region (West US) during a regional disaster. Azure Backup automatically protects the file share with scheduled backups and provides up to 30 days of retention for point-in-time restores of individual files or the entire share.
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.
- ✓
Configure Azure Backup on the Azure file share using a Recovery Services vault with geo-redundant storage (GRS). Enable cross-region restore on the vault.
Why this is correct
Azure Backup for Azure Files provides daily backups, file-level restore, and versioning. With GRS and cross-region restore enabled, you can restore the entire share to the paired region.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Azure File Sync to sync the file share to an on-premises server, and then back up the on-premises server using Azure Backup.
Why it's wrong here
Azure File Sync is for hybrid caching, not for backup. It does not provide automated backups or cross-region restore of the Azure file share itself.
- ✗
Enable soft delete and versioning on the storage account, and configure replication to a secondary region using RA-GRS.
Why it's wrong here
Soft delete and versioning protect against accidental deletion but do not provide a managed backup service with scheduled backups and cross-region restore. RA-GRS provides read access but not point-in-time restore.
- ✗
Create a scheduled Azure Automation runbook that takes snapshots of the file share every day and copy them to a storage account in West US.
Why it's wrong here
This custom solution incurs operational overhead and lacks the built-in monitoring, alerting, and restore capabilities of Azure Backup. It also does not provide versioning for individual file restore.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse storage account replication (RA-GRS) with backup and restore capabilities, thinking that replication alone provides disaster recovery restore functionality, but it does not support point-in-time file-level restore or cross-region restore of backups without Azure Backup's cross-region restore feature.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Backup for Azure file shares leverages the file share's snapshot capability to create application-consistent backups, which are stored in the Recovery Services vault. When cross-region restore is enabled, the backup data replicated via GRS can be restored to the paired region (e.g., West US) by triggering a restore operation that uses the secondary region's replica. The 30-day retention is configured via the backup policy, which supports daily or hourly backups and allows granular restores of individual files using the Azure portal or PowerShell.
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 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.
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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: Configure Azure Backup on the Azure file share using a Recovery Services vault with geo-redundant storage (GRS). Enable cross-region restore on the vault. — Azure Backup for Azure file shares uses a Recovery Services vault and can be configured with geo-redundant storage (GRS) to replicate backup data to a paired secondary region. Enabling cross-region restore on the vault allows restoring the entire file share to the secondary region (West US) during a regional disaster. Azure Backup automatically protects the file share with scheduled backups and provides up to 30 days of retention for point-in-time restores of individual files or the entire share.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 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
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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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