This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe cloud concepts. 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 hospital is subject to strict data residency laws that require patient data to remain within the country's borders. They are considering using a public cloud provider. Which cloud deployment model would best meet this compliance requirement?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Why wrong: Public cloud can have data centers in many countries, but the provider's infrastructure may not guarantee data stays within borders without specific region selection and policy enforcement.
B
Private cloud
A private cloud is dedicated to a single organization, providing maximum control over data location and compliance.
C
Hybrid cloud
Why wrong: Hybrid cloud combines public and private, which could complicate data residency.
D
Community cloud
Why wrong: Community cloud is shared by several organizations with similar concerns, but it may not provide the strict control needed for data residency.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Private cloud
A private cloud is dedicated to a single organization, allowing the hospital to deploy and manage infrastructure within its own data center or a colocation facility located within the country's borders. This ensures full control over data storage and processing, directly satisfying data residency laws that prohibit patient data from leaving the country. In contrast, public cloud providers may have data centers in multiple regions, making it harder to guarantee data never crosses borders.
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.
✗
Public cloud
Why it's wrong here
Public cloud can have data centers in many countries, but the provider's infrastructure may not guarantee data stays within borders without specific region selection and policy enforcement.
✓
Private cloud
Why this is correct
A private cloud is dedicated to a single organization, providing maximum control over data location and compliance.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Hybrid cloud
Why it's wrong here
Hybrid cloud combines public and private, which could complicate data residency.
✗
Community cloud
Why it's wrong here
Community cloud is shared by several organizations with similar concerns, but it may not provide the strict control needed for data residency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose hybrid cloud thinking it offers the best of both worlds, but they overlook that the public cloud component could inadvertently store or process data outside the required geographic boundary, violating strict data residency laws.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
Community cloud is shared by several organizations with similar concerns, but it may not provide the strict control needed for data residency.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, a private cloud can be deployed on-premises using technologies like VMware vSphere or OpenStack, or hosted in a single-tenant environment within a colocation facility. This architecture allows the hospital to implement strict network segmentation, encryption at rest (e.g., AES-256) and in transit (e.g., TLS 1.3), and audit logging to meet compliance frameworks like HIPAA or GDPR. A real-world scenario is a hospital in Germany using a private cloud to ensure patient data never leaves the EU, avoiding reliance on cloud providers with data centers in non-EU jurisdictions.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-900 question in full detail.
Describe cloud concepts — This question tests Describe cloud concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Private cloud — A private cloud is dedicated to a single organization, allowing the hospital to deploy and manage infrastructure within its own data center or a colocation facility located within the country's borders. This ensures full control over data storage and processing, directly satisfying data residency laws that prohibit patient data from leaving the country. In contrast, public cloud providers may have data centers in multiple regions, making it harder to guarantee data never crosses borders.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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