- A
Azure Backup GFS policy
GFS policy can retain daily, weekly, monthly, yearly backups with different durations.
- B
Daily backup policy with 30-day retention
Why wrong: Does not support weekly, monthly, yearly retention.
- C
Monthly backup policy with 12-month retention
Why wrong: Does not include daily or weekly backups.
- D
Azure Backup Enhanced policy
Why wrong: Enhanced policy is for SQL Server backup.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is the Azure Backup GFS policy because it is the only Azure-native solution that supports the Grandfather-Father-Son retention model, enabling distinct retention periods for daily (30 days), weekly (12 weeks), monthly (12 months), and yearly (7 years) backups within a single policy. This GFS approach maps directly to the company’s requirement to protect VMs from accidental deletion or corruption across multiple time horizons, which a simple daily or monthly policy cannot accommodate due to their single-tier retention limits. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Azure Backup’s recovery services vault and its ability to implement complex compliance-driven retention schedules, often appearing as a distractor where candidates mistakenly choose the Enhanced policy (reserved for SQL Server) or a basic daily policy. A common trap is assuming a single retention tier can cover all needs; instead, remember that GFS stands for Grandfather (yearly), Father (monthly), and Son (daily/weekly). For a quick memory tip, think of the GFS acronym as “Go Far with Schedules” to recall that only this policy supports multi-tier, long-term retention for Azure VM backups.
AZ-305 Design business continuity solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design business continuity solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 protect Azure VMs from accidental deletion or corruption by retaining daily backups for 30 days, weekly backups for 12 weeks, monthly backups for 12 months, and yearly backups for 7 years. Which backup policy type should they use?
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 Backup GFS policy
Option B is correct because Azure Backup supports a Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) backup policy that allows retention of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly backups with different retention periods. Option A is wrong because a simple daily backup policy cannot specify multiple retention tiers. Option C is wrong because the Enhanced policy is for SQL Server, not general VM backup. Option D is wrong because a monthly backup policy cannot include daily or weekly backups.
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.
- ✓
Azure Backup GFS policy
Why this is correct
GFS policy can retain daily, weekly, monthly, yearly backups with different durations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Daily backup policy with 30-day retention
Why it's wrong here
Does not support weekly, monthly, yearly retention.
- ✗
Monthly backup policy with 12-month retention
Why it's wrong here
Does not include daily or weekly backups.
- ✗
Azure Backup Enhanced policy
Why it's wrong here
Enhanced policy is for SQL Server backup.
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 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.
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 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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Backup GFS policy — Option B is correct because Azure Backup supports a Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) backup policy that allows retention of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly backups with different retention periods. Option A is wrong because a simple daily backup policy cannot specify multiple retention tiers. Option C is wrong because the Enhanced policy is for SQL Server, not general VM backup. Option D is wrong because a monthly backup policy cannot include daily or weekly backups.
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 →
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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