The correct answer is Azure Backup with a vault configured for 7-year retention and encryption at rest. This solution works because Azure Backup natively supports long-term retention policies of up to 99 years, easily meeting the 7-year compliance requirement, and all backup data is automatically encrypted at rest using Azure Storage Service Encryption (SSE), which is enabled by default for managed disks and backup vaults. On the Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between backup and disaster recovery services, with a common trap being to confuse Azure Site Recovery—which is designed for replication and failover, not archival retention—with Azure Backup. A key memory tip is to remember that Azure Backup is for long-term retention and compliance, while Site Recovery is for short-term recovery point objectives.
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 wants to implement a backup strategy for their Azure virtual machines. They need to retain backups for 7 years for compliance and ensure backups are encrypted at rest. Which solution should you recommend?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Backup with a vault configured for 7-year retention and encryption at rest.
Option C is correct because Azure Backup supports long-term retention (up to 99 years) and encryption at rest using Azure Storage Service Encryption. Option A is wrong because Azure Site Recovery is for disaster recovery, not long-term backup. Option B is wrong because Azure Disk Snapshot does not support 7-year retention natively. Option D is wrong because Azure Files Backup is for file shares, not VMs.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 Disk Snapshot with a lifecycle management policy.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots are not designed for long-term retention; lifecycle management is limited.
✓
Azure Backup with a vault configured for 7-year retention and encryption at rest.
Why this is correct
Azure Backup supports long-term retention and encryption at rest.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Azure Files Backup to a Recovery Services vault.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Files Backup is for file shares, not VMs.
✗
Azure Site Recovery with custom retention policies.
Why it's wrong here
Site Recovery is for DR, not long-term backup.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related AZ-305 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Design infrastructure solutions — This question tests Design infrastructure solutions — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Backup with a vault configured for 7-year retention and encryption at rest. — Option C is correct because Azure Backup supports long-term retention (up to 99 years) and encryption at rest using Azure Storage Service Encryption. Option A is wrong because Azure Site Recovery is for disaster recovery, not long-term backup. Option B is wrong because Azure Disk Snapshot does not support 7-year retention natively. Option D is wrong because Azure Files Backup is for file shares, not VMs.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related AZ-305 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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