AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question
A small business is migrating its on-premises file server to Azure. The file server contains 2 TB of data that is accessed infrequently. The business wants to minimize costs and only pay for storage used. The solution must support SMB protocol and allow for on-premises caching to reduce latency. Which Azure storage solution should the business recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse Azure Blob Storage with file storage, overlooking that Blob Storage does not support SMB protocol natively, and they may incorrectly choose it for cost savings without considering protocol requirements.
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 Files Standard tier with Azure File Sync
Azure Files Standard tier with Azure File Sync is correct because it provides fully managed SMB file shares in the cloud, supports the required SMB protocol, and Azure File Sync enables on-premises caching to reduce latency. The Standard tier is cost-effective for infrequently accessed data, and the pay-as-you-go model minimizes costs by charging only for actual storage used.
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 Files Standard tier with Azure File Sync
Why this is correct
Azure Files Standard tier with Azure File Sync is the correct replacement for an on-premises file server because it provides fully managed SMB 3.0 file shares that support NTFS ACLs, Active Directory identity-based authentication, and Windows-native access semantics. Azure File Sync goes further by keeping a local cache of the most frequently used files on the existing server, providing low-latency access for on-premises clients while transparently tiering older data to Azure. This delivers the exact file-sharing behavior and caching benefits a small business needs without requiring custom infrastructure or expensive enterprise storage.
- ✗
Azure Disk Storage Standard HDD with shared disks
Why it's wrong here
Azure Disk Storage Standard HDD with shared disks is a block-level storage solution, not a managed file-sharing service. Shared disks attach to multiple VMs via SCSI and require you to build and operate your own clustered file server (e.g., Windows Server Failover Clustering) on top of them to expose any SMB file sharing. This approach adds significant management overhead, has strict SCSI persistent reservation limitations, and does not directly replace an on-premises file server with a simple, fully managed file share.
- ✗
Azure NetApp Files Standard tier with cross-region replication
Why it's wrong here
Azure NetApp Files Standard tier with cross-region replication delivers high-performance enterprise file services for workloads that require low latency, advanced networking, or multi-region disaster recovery. However, it is considerably more expensive and operationally complex than Azure Files Standard tier, especially when you add cross-region replication, and it is overprovisioned for a small business just migrating a file server. For a straightforward SMB share with on-premises caching, Azure NetApp Files introduces unnecessary cost and capabilities that do not align with the scenario.
- ✗
Azure Blob Storage Cool tier with Azure Storage Explorer
Why it's wrong here
Azure Blob Storage Cool tier is an object storage service that does not provide native SMB access, so it cannot serve as a direct replacement for an on-premises file server. Azure Storage Explorer is merely a management and browsing tool for blobs; it does not expose a network share that existing file clients can map to a drive, nor does it preserve NTFS ACLs or Windows file semantics. While Blob Storage is excellent for object workloads and backups, it lacks the file-level protocol and permission model required by a Windows file server migration.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.