AZ-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question
A company is evaluating cloud deployment models. They want to move some workloads to the public cloud but must keep certain sensitive data on their own servers due to regulatory requirements. They also want to leverage cloud services for scalability during peak periods. Which cloud deployment model should they choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that any cloud model with 'private' in the name automatically meets regulatory needs, overlooking the requirement to also leverage public cloud scalability.
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
✓
Hybrid cloud
The company needs to keep sensitive data on-premises for regulatory reasons while also using cloud services for scalability. A hybrid cloud deployment model integrates on-premises infrastructure with public cloud services, allowing workloads to run where they are most appropriate. This satisfies both the compliance requirement and the need for elastic scalability, which neither public, private, nor community cloud alone can fully provide.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Hybrid cloud
Why this is correct
A hybrid cloud combines public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them. This enables the company to keep sensitive data on their own servers (private cloud) while using the public cloud for scalability during peak periods. It directly meets the regulatory requirement and the need for cloud scalability, making it the appropriate deployment model.
- ✗
Private cloud
Why it's wrong here
A private cloud is dedicated to a single organization and can be hosted on-premises or by a third party. It addresses regulatory and data sovereignty concerns but does not provide the scalability and cost benefits of using public cloud services for peak periods. The scenario wants to leverage cloud services for scalability while keeping sensitive data on-premises, which private cloud alone does not offer.
- ✗
Community cloud
Why it's wrong here
A community cloud is shared by several organizations with common concerns, such as regulatory compliance. While it can address shared regulatory requirements, it does not provide the flexibility of using public cloud services for scalability while keeping specific data on-premises. The scenario describes a single company's need, not a community of organizations, and community cloud is not the best fit.
- ✗
Public cloud
Why it's wrong here
A public cloud deployment model provides services over the internet and is shared among multiple organizations. While it offers scalability and cost benefits, it does not allow the company to keep sensitive data on their own servers for regulatory compliance. The scenario explicitly requires retaining some data on-premises, which the public cloud alone cannot satisfy.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Cloud Compliance Concepts
Key term
Hybrid cloud
A hybrid cloud is a computing environment that combines a private cloud (on-premises infrastructure) with one or more public cloud services, allowing data and applications to be shared between them.
Key term
Public cloud
A public cloud is a computing model where third-party providers deliver IT resources like servers, storage, and applications over the internet to multiple customers on a pay-as-you-go basis.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
This AZ-900 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-900 exam.