Quick Answer
The correct answer is to enable soft delete for Azure Backup and apply resource locks where applicable. Soft delete is the primary safeguard because it retains deleted backup data for an additional 14 days by default in Recovery Services vaults, allowing full recovery even after a backup is removed—whether by accident or malicious intent. Resource locks, such as CanNotDelete, add a second layer of defense by preventing the entire vault from being deleted, which is critical when multiple administrators have access. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of data protection controls within the “Design for backup and disaster recovery” objective; a common trap is to rely solely on role-based access control (RBAC) without layering these two mechanisms. Remember the mnemonic “Soft Lock” to pair soft delete with resource locks, ensuring both the backup data and the vault itself are protected against deletion.
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 solution stores critical VM backups in Azure. The company wants protection against accidental or malicious deletion of backups. Which two controls should be included?
Disabling backup alerts
Why wrong: Disabling alerts weakens detection of backup issues.
Storing all backups on the original VM disk
Why wrong: Backups must be separate from the protected workload to survive failure.
Soft delete for Azure Backup
Soft delete retains deleted backup data for recovery.
Multi-user authorization or resource locks where applicable
Additional authorization/locks reduce the risk of unauthorized destructive changes.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Soft delete for Azure Backup
Soft delete for Azure Backup (Option C) is correct because it retains backup data for an additional 14 days after deletion, allowing recovery from accidental or malicious deletion. This feature is enabled by default for Recovery Services vaults and protects backup data even if the backup itself is deleted, providing a critical safety net against data loss.
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.
Disabling backup alerts
Why it's wrong here
Disabling alerts weakens detection of backup issues.
Storing all backups on the original VM disk
Why it's wrong here
Backups must be separate from the protected workload to survive failure.
Soft delete for Azure Backup
Why this is correct
Soft delete retains deleted backup data for recovery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Multi-user authorization or resource locks where applicable
Why this is correct
Additional authorization/locks reduce the risk of unauthorized destructive changes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may overlook the need for both a data-level protection (soft delete) and a resource-level protection (resource locks), assuming one control is sufficient, or they may mistakenly think disabling alerts or storing backups on the same disk provides any deletion protection.
Detailed technical explanation
Soft delete works by marking deleted backup data as 'soft-deleted' and retaining it in the Recovery Services vault for 14 days (configurable up to 14 days) before permanent deletion. During this period, the backup data is not visible in normal listings but can be recovered via the Azure portal or PowerShell (e.g., `Undo-AzRecoveryServicesBackupItemDeletion`). Resource locks (Option D) complement this by preventing deletion of the entire vault or backup items at the Azure Resource Manager level, adding a second layer of defense.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Design business continuity solutions — study guide chapter
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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: Soft delete for Azure Backup — Soft delete for Azure Backup (Option C) is correct because it retains backup data for an additional 14 days after deletion, allowing recovery from accidental or malicious deletion. This feature is enabled by default for Recovery Services vaults and protects backup data even if the backup itself is deleted, providing a critical safety net against data loss.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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