Quick Answer
The answer is the Azure Backup with GFS retention policy for monthly and yearly points. This is correct because the Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) model within Azure Backup allows long-term retention of up to 99 years by combining daily (son), weekly (father), and monthly/yearly (grandfather) backup points, making it the only tier that satisfies a 10-year compliance requirement for on-premises file servers protected via MABS. On the AZ-305 exam, this tests your understanding of backup versus replication services and retention tiers—a common trap is confusing Azure Site Recovery (disaster recovery, not long-term backup) or the warm storage tier (limited to short-term retention) with the GFS policy. Remember that GFS is your go-to for decade-long compliance, while Azure Files is simply a storage target, not a retention feature. Memory tip: think "Grandfather holds the years, Father holds the months, Son holds the days."
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.
A company uses Azure Backup to protect on-premises file servers via the Azure Backup Server (MABS). They want to ensure backups are retained for 10 years for compliance. What backup tier should they use?
Azure Backup using the warm storage tier
Why wrong: Warm tier is for short-term retention (up to 90 days).
Azure Files share snapshots
Why wrong: Snapshots have limited retention and are not designed for 10-year compliance.
Azure Site Recovery
Why wrong: Site Recovery is for disaster recovery, not long-term backup retention.
Azure Backup with GFS retention policy for monthly and yearly points
GFS allows retention for decades.
Answer choices
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 GFS retention policy for monthly and yearly points
Option B is correct because Azure Backup supports long-term retention (up to 99 years) using the Backup vault's Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) retention policy with monthly and yearly points. Option A is wrong because Azure Site Recovery is for replication, not backup retention. Option C is wrong because the warm storage tier is for short-term retention. Option D is wrong because Azure Files is not a backup retention feature.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Azure Backup using the warm storage tier
Why it's wrong here
Warm tier is for short-term retention (up to 90 days).
Azure Files share snapshots
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots have limited retention and are not designed for 10-year compliance.
Azure Site Recovery
Why it's wrong here
Site Recovery is for disaster recovery, not long-term backup retention.
Azure Backup with GFS retention policy for monthly and yearly points
Why this is correct
GFS allows retention for decades.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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.
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FAQ
Design business continuity solutions — This question tests Design business continuity solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Azure Backup with GFS retention policy for monthly and yearly points — Option B is correct because Azure Backup supports long-term retention (up to 99 years) using the Backup vault's Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) retention policy with monthly and yearly points. Option A is wrong because Azure Site Recovery is for replication, not backup retention. Option C is wrong because the warm storage tier is for short-term retention. Option D is wrong because Azure Files is not a backup retention feature.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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