- A
A
Azure Backup supports customer-managed keys for encrypting backup data. Configure the Recovery Services vault with a customer-managed key from Key Vault and create a backup policy that includes daily and monthly retention points.
- B
B
Why wrong: Azure Disk Encryption encrypts the OS and data disks of a VM but does not automatically encrypt backup data stored in the Recovery Services vault. Backup encryption is independent.
- C
C
Why wrong: Azure Site Recovery is designed for disaster recovery replication, not long-term backup retention. It is not suitable for meeting the 5-year compliance requirement.
- D
D
Why wrong: Azure Backup encrypts backup data by default with platform-managed keys. Customer-managed key support is available, so this statement is incorrect.
Quick Answer
The answer is Option A, which combines Azure Disk Encryption or a Disk Encryption Set (DES) with a customer-managed key (CMK) in Azure Key Vault, paired with a backup policy that retains monthly recovery points for five years. This configuration is correct because Azure Backup encrypts backup data at rest using the same encryption method applied to the source VM disks; when you use CMK via DES, the backup data in the Recovery Services vault inherits that encryption, ensuring you control the keys. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Azure Backup integrates with Azure Disk Encryption and key management, often tripping candidates who confuse platform-managed keys with CMK or forget that long-term retention is a policy setting, not a vault feature. A common trap is assuming the vault itself can be encrypted with CMK independently, but the encryption is tied to the source disk’s encryption set. Memory tip: “Backup inherits disk encryption—CMK on the disk means CMK on the backup.”
AZ-305 Design business continuity solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design business continuity solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 back up their Azure VMs (running Windows and Linux) to a Recovery Services vault. The backup data must be encrypted at rest using customer-managed keys. They also need to retain monthly backups for 5 years for compliance. Which configuration 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
A
Option A is correct because Azure Backup supports encryption at rest using customer-managed keys (CMK) via Azure Disk Encryption or Azure Disk Encryption Set (DES) with a key vault. For long-term retention, the backup policy can be configured to retain monthly recovery points for up to 5 years, meeting compliance requirements. The Recovery Services vault stores encrypted backup data, and CMK ensures the customer controls the encryption keys.
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.
- ✓
A
Why this is correct
Azure Backup supports customer-managed keys for encrypting backup data. Configure the Recovery Services vault with a customer-managed key from Key Vault and create a backup policy that includes daily and monthly retention points.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
B
Why it's wrong here
Azure Disk Encryption encrypts the OS and data disks of a VM but does not automatically encrypt backup data stored in the Recovery Services vault. Backup encryption is independent.
- ✗
C
Why it's wrong here
Azure Site Recovery is designed for disaster recovery replication, not long-term backup retention. It is not suitable for meeting the 5-year compliance requirement.
- ✗
D
Why it's wrong here
Azure Backup encrypts backup data by default with platform-managed keys. Customer-managed key support is available, so this statement is incorrect.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Backup with Azure Site Recovery or assume that platform-managed encryption (SSE) satisfies customer-managed key requirements, but only CMK via a key vault meets the compliance need for customer-controlled encryption keys.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Backup integrates with Azure Disk Encryption (ADE) using BitLocker for Windows and DM-Crypt for Linux, which encrypts the VM disks at rest. For customer-managed keys, you must use an Azure Disk Encryption Set (DES) with a key vault containing the customer-managed key, and the Recovery Services vault must be configured to use that DES. The backup policy allows granular retention rules, such as daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly points, with a maximum retention of 99 years for monthly points.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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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: A — Option A is correct because Azure Backup supports encryption at rest using customer-managed keys (CMK) via Azure Disk Encryption or Azure Disk Encryption Set (DES) with a key vault. For long-term retention, the backup policy can be configured to retain monthly recovery points for up to 5 years, meeting compliance requirements. The Recovery Services vault stores encrypted backup data, and CMK ensures the customer controls the encryption keys.
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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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