AZ-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question
Which of the following is an example of a 'hybrid cloud' deployment?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse multi-cloud (using multiple public cloud providers) with hybrid cloud (public cloud plus on-premises/private cloud), leading candidates to incorrectly select Option C.
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
✓
Running customer-facing applications on Azure while keeping sensitive HR data on on-premises servers
A hybrid cloud deployment combines public cloud resources (Azure) with on-premises infrastructure, connected via technologies like VPNs or Azure ExpressRoute. Running customer-facing apps on Azure while keeping sensitive HR data on-premises exemplifies this blend, allowing organizations to maintain compliance or low latency for critical data while leveraging cloud scalability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Using only Azure for all company workloads
Why it's wrong here
Using only Azure for all company workloads is a single-cloud public deployment. This approach places the entire IT footprint in a cloud provider's data centers, with no on-premises servers or private infrastructure. Since hybrid cloud by definition must combine on-premises resources with public cloud services, a 100% Azure environment lacks the on-premises component entirely, making it unambiguous that this is not hybrid.
- ✓
Running customer-facing applications on Azure while keeping sensitive HR data on on-premises servers
Why this is correct
Running customer-facing applications on Azure while keeping sensitive HR data on on-premises servers is a textbook hybrid cloud deployment. This architecture intentionally splits workloads between on-premises infrastructure and a public cloud provider, often to balance regulatory compliance, data residency requirements, and the elasticity of cloud services. The on-premises component handles sensitive data that cannot leave the corporate network, while Azure provides scalable compute and storage for customer-facing systems, with the two environments connected through secure networking.
- ✗
Using both Azure and AWS for different workloads
Why it's wrong here
Using both Azure and AWS for different workloads describes a multi-cloud strategy, not a hybrid cloud. Hybrid cloud specifically requires a combination of on-premises infrastructure and public cloud resources, whereas multi-cloud involves multiple public cloud providers without any on-premises component. Even if workloads are split between providers for redundancy or best-of-fit, the absence of an on-premises environment means the deployment fails the definition of hybrid.
- ✗
Storing data only in the cloud with no on-premises infrastructure
Why it's wrong here
Storing data only in the cloud with no on-premises infrastructure is a pure public cloud deployment. In this model, all applications and data reside in a cloud provider's data centers, with no local servers or private resources involved. Because hybrid cloud fundamentally requires both an on-premises environment and a public cloud environment working together, a cloud-only architecture—regardless of how many providers are used—cannot be classified as hybrid.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
What is Cloud Computing?
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.
Key term
Azure ExpressRoute
Azure ExpressRoute is a dedicated, private, and high-speed network connection from your on-premises data center to Microsoft's cloud, bypassing the public internet for better reliability, security, and performance.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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