The answer is the Azure Monitor Agent. This is the correct choice because it is Microsoft’s current recommended agent for collecting performance counters and log events from Azure VMs and sending them to a centralized Log Analytics workspace, replacing the legacy Log Analytics agent (MMA). The Azure Monitor Agent uses data collection rules (DCRs) for centralized, scalable management, supports multi-homing natively, and offers improved security over its predecessor. On the AZ-305 exam, this question tests your understanding of modern monitoring architecture and the shift away from legacy agents; a common trap is choosing the old MMA or the Azure Diagnostics extension, which lacks the same Log Analytics integration. Remember the mnemonic “AMA for AMAzing monitoring” — if you see a question about VM performance counters and log events, think Azure Monitor Agent first.
AZ-305 Practice Question: Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design identity, governance, and monitoring 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.
Your company is implementing a monitoring solution for Azure virtual machines. You need to collect performance counters and log events from the VMs and send them to a centralized Log Analytics workspace. Which agent should you install on the VMs?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Monitor Agent
Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) is the current recommended agent for collecting performance counters and log events from Azure VMs and sending them to a Log Analytics workspace. It replaces the legacy Log Analytics agent (MMA) and offers centralized management via data collection rules (DCRs), improved security, and support for both Windows and Linux VMs. The AMA uses the Azure Monitor service pipeline and supports multi-homing to multiple workspaces natively.
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 Monitor Agent
Why this is correct
AMA is the modern agent for collecting performance and event data to Log Analytics.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Log Analytics agent (MMA)
Why it's wrong here
MMA is legacy and being deprecated; Microsoft recommends AMA.
✗
Diagnostics Extension
Why it's wrong here
Diagnostics Extension sends data to Azure Storage or Event Hubs, not directly to Log Analytics.
✗
Dependency Agent
Why it's wrong here
Dependency Agent collects network data for VM insights, not general performance counters.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the legacy Log Analytics agent (MMA) as the correct choice because it was the standard for years, but Azure Monitor Agent is the modern replacement explicitly tested in the AZ-305 exam as the recommended solution for centralized log and performance collection.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Monitor Agent uses the Azure Monitor Metrics and Logs ingestion endpoints, and its configuration is managed via Data Collection Rules (DCRs) stored in Azure Resource Manager. This allows you to dynamically change what data is collected without redeploying the agent, and it supports streaming data to multiple Log Analytics workspaces simultaneously. The AMA also uses a single, unified agent binary that replaces both the MMA and the Diagnostics Extension for most monitoring scenarios.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions — This question tests Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Monitor Agent — Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) is the current recommended agent for collecting performance counters and log events from Azure VMs and sending them to a Log Analytics workspace. It replaces the legacy Log Analytics agent (MMA) and offers centralized management via data collection rules (DCRs), improved security, and support for both Windows and Linux VMs. The AMA uses the Azure Monitor service pipeline and supports multi-homing to multiple workspaces natively.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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