- A
Store data in Azure Files and use Azure File Sync for replication.
Why wrong: Azure Files and File Sync are for file shares, not for VM backup or disaster recovery.
- B
Implement Azure Site Recovery with replication to a secondary region.
Azure Site Recovery can achieve an RPO of 15 seconds to 15 minutes and an RTO of minutes, meeting the requirements.
- C
Use Azure Traffic Manager to distribute traffic between regions.
Why wrong: Traffic Manager provides DNS-level load balancing, not replication or recovery capabilities.
- D
Configure Azure Backup for daily backups with geo-redundant storage.
Why wrong: Azure Backup's minimum RPO is 1 hour; daily backups do not meet the 15-minute RPO.
- E
Enable application-consistent snapshots for the VMs within the replication policy.
Application-consistent snapshots in Azure Site Recovery help ensure data integrity and support faster recovery.
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.
Your organization has a critical application running on Azure Virtual Machines. You need to design a backup and disaster recovery strategy. Which TWO options should you include in your design to meet a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 15 minutes and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 1 hour? (Choose two.)
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
Implement Azure Site Recovery with replication to a secondary region.
Option B and Option D are correct. Azure Site Recovery can replicate VMs with an RPO as low as 15 minutes and an RTO of minutes to hours. Azure Backup can be used for additional long-term retention, but to meet the RPO/RTO requirements, Site Recovery is necessary. Option A is wrong because Azure Backup has a default RPO of 1 hour for VMs. Option C is wrong because Traffic Manager does not provide RPO/RTO guarantees. Option E is wrong because Azure Files is not a VM backup solution.
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.
- ✗
Store data in Azure Files and use Azure File Sync for replication.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Files and File Sync are for file shares, not for VM backup or disaster recovery.
- ✓
Implement Azure Site Recovery with replication to a secondary region.
Why this is correct
Azure Site Recovery can achieve an RPO of 15 seconds to 15 minutes and an RTO of minutes, meeting the requirements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Azure Traffic Manager to distribute traffic between regions.
Why it's wrong here
Traffic Manager provides DNS-level load balancing, not replication or recovery capabilities.
- ✗
Configure Azure Backup for daily backups with geo-redundant storage.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Backup's minimum RPO is 1 hour; daily backups do not meet the 15-minute RPO.
- ✓
Enable application-consistent snapshots for the VMs within the replication policy.
Why this is correct
Application-consistent snapshots in Azure Site Recovery help ensure data integrity and support faster recovery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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
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.
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
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: Implement Azure Site Recovery with replication to a secondary region. — Option B and Option D are correct. Azure Site Recovery can replicate VMs with an RPO as low as 15 minutes and an RTO of minutes to hours. Azure Backup can be used for additional long-term retention, but to meet the RPO/RTO requirements, Site Recovery is necessary. Option A is wrong because Azure Backup has a default RPO of 1 hour for VMs. Option C is wrong because Traffic Manager does not provide RPO/RTO guarantees. Option E is wrong because Azure Files is not a VM backup solution.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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