- A
Back up AKS cluster state and Azure SQL Database using Azure Backup; restore in a secondary region during failover.
Why wrong: Azure Backup for AKS (Cluster Backup) has RPO of hours, and Azure SQL Database backup RPO is 5 minutes but restore time exceeds 10 minutes.
- B
Deploy AKS clusters in two regions with Azure Front Door; configure Azure SQL Database active geo-replication; enable Azure Cache for Redis geo-replication.
Azure Front Door provides automatic failover; active geo-replication for SQL Database offers RPO of 5 seconds; Redis geo-replication offers RPO of minutes. This meets RTO and RPO with minimal overhead.
- C
Use Azure Site Recovery to replicate the AKS cluster and Azure SQL Database to a secondary region; use Azure Redis Cache with data persistence.
Why wrong: Azure Site Recovery does not natively support Azure SQL Database or Azure Cache for Redis; it would require additional scripts and complexity.
- D
Migrate the database to Azure Cosmos DB for multi-region writes; use Traffic Manager for AKS failover.
Why wrong: Migrating to Cosmos DB requires significant application changes and may not be compatible with existing transactional patterns.
Quick Answer
The answer is deploying AKS clusters in two regions with Azure Front Door, configuring Azure SQL Database active geo-replication, and enabling Azure Cache for Redis geo-replication. This combination meets the 10-minute RTO and 5-minute RPO because Azure Front Door provides instant regional failover for the AKS workload, while active geo-replication for Azure SQL Database offers an RPO of seconds and an RTO of seconds, and Redis geo-replication replicates session state with sub-minute failover. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of native Azure services for disaster recovery versus lift-and-shift tools like Azure Site Recovery, which adds unnecessary complexity for containerized platforms. A common trap is choosing Azure Backup, which has an RPO of hours and fails the strict 5-minute requirement, or suggesting Cosmos DB when the existing database is Azure SQL. Remember the memory tip: “Front Door for traffic, SQL geo for data, Redis geo for cache” — three native services, no extra overhead.
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.
You are designing a business continuity plan for a global e-commerce platform that runs on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) in the West US region. The platform uses Azure SQL Database for transactional data and Azure Cache for Redis for session state. The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) for the entire platform is 10 minutes, and the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is 5 minutes. Which combination of technologies would meet these requirements with the least operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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 with Azure Front Door; configure Azure SQL Database active geo-replication; enable Azure Cache for Redis geo-replication.
Option A is correct because AKS with Azure Front Door provides global load balancing and can redirect traffic to a secondary region; Azure SQL Database active geo-replication meets the RPO of 5 seconds (less than 5 minutes) and RTO of seconds; Azure Cache for Redis geo-replication meets the RPO and RTO for session state. Option B is wrong because Azure Site Recovery for AKS adds complexity and does not replicate Azure SQL Database or Redis natively. Option C is wrong because Azure Backup for AKS and Azure SQL Database has RPO of hours. Option D is wrong because Cosmos DB is not the current database service, and it would require application changes.
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.
- ✗
Back up AKS cluster state and Azure SQL Database using Azure Backup; restore in a secondary region during failover.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Backup for AKS (Cluster Backup) has RPO of hours, and Azure SQL Database backup RPO is 5 minutes but restore time exceeds 10 minutes.
- ✓
Deploy AKS clusters in two regions with Azure Front Door; configure Azure SQL Database active geo-replication; enable Azure Cache for Redis geo-replication.
Why this is correct
Azure Front Door provides automatic failover; active geo-replication for SQL Database offers RPO of 5 seconds; Redis geo-replication offers RPO of minutes. This meets RTO and RPO with minimal overhead.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✗
Use Azure Site Recovery to replicate the AKS cluster and Azure SQL Database to a secondary region; use Azure Redis Cache with data persistence.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Site Recovery does not natively support Azure SQL Database or Azure Cache for Redis; it would require additional scripts and complexity.
- ✗
Migrate the database to Azure Cosmos DB for multi-region writes; use Traffic Manager for AKS failover.
Why it's wrong here
Migrating to Cosmos DB requires significant application changes and may not be compatible with existing transactional patterns.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
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Design business continuity solutions — study guide chapter
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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 — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy AKS clusters in two regions with Azure Front Door; configure Azure SQL Database active geo-replication; enable Azure Cache for Redis geo-replication. — Option A is correct because AKS with Azure Front Door provides global load balancing and can redirect traffic to a secondary region; Azure SQL Database active geo-replication meets the RPO of 5 seconds (less than 5 minutes) and RTO of seconds; Azure Cache for Redis geo-replication meets the RPO and RTO for session state. Option B is wrong because Azure Site Recovery for AKS adds complexity and does not replicate Azure SQL Database or Redis natively. Option C is wrong because Azure Backup for AKS and Azure SQL Database has RPO of hours. Option D is wrong because Cosmos DB is not the current database service, and it would require application changes.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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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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