AZ-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  Public cloud

  Why it's wrong here

  A public cloud is a multi-tenant environment where compute and storage resources are pooled and shared across many customers, and the provider owns and operates all physical infrastructure. The end customer has limited ability to choose or know the exact server location, and the isolation between tenants relies on virtualized boundaries. For a financial services firm handling sensitive customer data, this lack of control over physical location and tenancy fails to provide the dedicated isolation that regulatory compliance often requires.

  When this WOULD be correct

  A startup with limited budget and no strict data residency or hardware isolation requirements needs to deploy a web application quickly. Public cloud offers pay-as-you-go, scalable resources without upfront investment.

• ✓

  Private cloud

  Why this is correct

  A private cloud is deployed for the exclusive use of a single organization, whether hosted on-premises or in a third-party data center. This single-tenant model gives the financial services company granular control over the physical location of servers, network segmentation, and security policies, which is essential for sensitive customer data. Because the infrastructure is not shared with other customers, the company can maintain strict compliance with data protection regulations.

• ✗

  Hybrid cloud

  Why it's wrong here

  A hybrid cloud combines public cloud resources with private cloud or on-premises infrastructure, typically for workload portability or burst capacity. The presence of a public cloud component means that sensitive customer data could be processed in a shared environment unless architecture explicitly restricts it, and the public side remains outside the company's direct control. To guarantee the isolation required for strict data governance, the entire workload would need to be locked to the private component, which effectively makes it a private cloud rather than a hybrid.

  When this WOULD be correct

  A company needs to keep sensitive data on-premises for compliance but wants to use public cloud for burst capacity during peak loads. The hybrid cloud model would be correct for this scenario.

• ✗

  Community cloud

  Why it's wrong here

  A community cloud is shared by two or more organizations that have similar compliance or operational requirements, such as government agencies or healthcare entities. While it offers some shared governance and security controls, it is still a multi-tenant model from the perspective of any single member, meaning the infrastructure is not dedicated to one organization. Because the financial services company would not have exclusive use, the same level of isolation and control as a private cloud is not achieved.

  When this WOULD be correct

  A question where multiple organizations with common compliance or security needs (e.g., government agencies or healthcare providers) want to share cloud infrastructure while maintaining isolation from the general public would make community cloud the correct answer.

Option-by-option analysis

Why each answer is right or wrong

Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-900 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.

Analysis generated from the official AZ-900blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”

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