- A
Azure Dedicated Host
Correct. Azure Dedicated Host provides single-tenant physical servers dedicated to a single customer, ensuring complete physical isolation from other customers' workloads.
- B
Azure Availability Set
Why wrong: Incorrect. An Availability Set protects VMs from failures within a datacenter but does not provide dedicated physical servers; VMs still run on shared hardware with other customers.
- C
Azure Virtual Machine Scale Set
Why wrong: Incorrect. Scale Sets allow automatic scaling of identical VMs but do not guarantee physical isolation; they run on shared infrastructure.
- D
Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances
Why wrong: Incorrect. Reserved Instances provide a billing discount for committing to a one- or three-year term but do not provide dedicated physical servers. VMs still run on shared hardware.
Quick Answer
The answer is Azure Dedicated Host. This compute offering is the correct choice because it provides single-tenant physical servers that are dedicated entirely to one customer, ensuring that no other customer’s virtual machines can run on the same underlying hardware. This meets the compliance mandate for physical separation at the server level, as the company deploys VMs directly onto these dedicated hosts, guaranteeing hardware isolation. On the AZ-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of the core difference between multi-tenant compute options like Virtual Machine Scale Sets or regular VMs, which share physical hardware, and single-tenant solutions like Dedicated Hosts. A common trap is confusing Azure Dedicated Host with Azure Reserved Instances or Azure Hybrid Benefit, which offer cost savings but not physical isolation. Remember the memory tip: “Dedicated Host = Dedicated Hardware” — if the requirement is “no other customer on the same server,” think of the host as your own private server rack in the Azure datacenter.
AZ-900 Describe Azure architecture and services Practice Question
This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure architecture and services. 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 company runs a critical application on multiple Azure virtual machines (VMs) in the East US region. The application requires that the VMs are physically separated from any other customer's workloads and that the underlying physical servers are dedicated to this company alone. The compliance team mandates that no other customer's VMs can run on the same physical hardware. Which Azure compute offering should the company use to meet this requirement?
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
Azure Dedicated Host
Azure Dedicated Host provides single-tenant physical servers dedicated to a single customer, ensuring that no other customer's VMs run on the same hardware. This meets the compliance requirement for physical separation and dedicated underlying servers. The company can deploy VMs directly onto these dedicated hosts, guaranteeing isolation at the hardware level.
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 Dedicated Host
Why this is correct
Correct. Azure Dedicated Host provides single-tenant physical servers dedicated to a single customer, ensuring complete physical isolation from other customers' workloads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Availability Set
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. An Availability Set protects VMs from failures within a datacenter but does not provide dedicated physical servers; VMs still run on shared hardware with other customers.
- ✗
Azure Virtual Machine Scale Set
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Scale Sets allow automatic scaling of identical VMs but do not guarantee physical isolation; they run on shared infrastructure.
- ✗
Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Reserved Instances provide a billing discount for committing to a one- or three-year term but do not provide dedicated physical servers. VMs still run on shared hardware.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Dedicated Host with Azure Reserved Instances or Availability Sets, mistakenly thinking that high availability or cost savings can achieve physical isolation, when only Dedicated Host provides dedicated physical servers.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Dedicated Hosts are mapped to a specific physical server in an Azure datacenter, and you have control over maintenance events and capacity. Under the hood, each dedicated host is a hypervisor that runs only your VMs, and you can choose from various VM series (e.g., Dsv3, Esv3). This is distinct from isolated VM sizes (e.g., E64i_v3) which also provide single-tenant isolation but on shared hosts; Dedicated Hosts give you full control over the host itself, including the ability to place VMs in a specific host group for compliance.
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
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 question test?
Describe Azure architecture and services — This question tests Describe Azure architecture and services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Dedicated Host — Azure Dedicated Host provides single-tenant physical servers dedicated to a single customer, ensuring that no other customer's VMs run on the same hardware. This meets the compliance requirement for physical separation and dedicated underlying servers. The company can deploy VMs directly onto these dedicated hosts, guaranteeing isolation at the hardware level.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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