The answer is Azure Policy with the allowed VM SKU policy. This feature enforces compliance by evaluating all virtual machine creation or update requests against a predefined list of approved sizes, automatically denying any deployment that uses a disallowed SKU. On the AZ-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of how Azure Policy acts as a governance guardrail rather than a cost-management tool—a common trap is confusing it with Azure Cost Management or Azure RBAC. Remember that Azure Policy is about enforcing rules on resource properties at deployment time, not about tracking spending or controlling access. For a quick memory tip, think of Azure Policy as the “bouncer” that checks each VM’s size ID at the door: if the SKU isn’t on the guest list, it doesn’t get in.
AZ-900 Describe Azure management and governance Practice Question
This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure management and governance. 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.
An organization needs to ensure all VMs in Azure use approved VM sizes only. Which Azure feature enforces this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Policy with allowed VM SKU policy
Azure Policy with the 'Allowed virtual machine SKUs' built-in policy definition enforces which VM sizes can be deployed in a subscription or resource group. When assigned, this policy evaluates all VM creation or update requests and denies any that use a SKU not included in the allowed list, ensuring compliance with organizational standards.
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 RBAC
Why it's wrong here
RBAC controls who can create VMs but doesn't restrict which VM sizes are allowed.
✓
Azure Policy with allowed VM SKU policy
Why this is correct
Azure Policy's built-in 'Allowed virtual machine size SKUs' policy enforces that only specified VM sizes can be created.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure Resource Manager locks
Why it's wrong here
ARM locks prevent deletion or modification of existing resources but don't restrict VM size choices at creation.
✗
Azure Cost Management budgets
Why it's wrong here
Budgets alert on spending thresholds but don't enforce governance rules like allowed VM sizes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing Azure Policy (which enforces resource configuration rules) with Azure RBAC (which controls user permissions), leading candidates to incorrectly choose RBAC when the question asks about enforcing specific resource properties.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Policy uses a policy definition written in JSON with a specific 'if/then' logic; for the 'Allowed VM SKUs' policy, the 'if' condition checks the 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/sku.name' property, and the 'then' effect is 'Deny', which blocks the deployment at the Azure Resource Manager API level before the resource is created. A real-world scenario is a finance team requiring only cost-efficient VM sizes (e.g., B-series) to be used in development subscriptions, enforced via a policy assignment scoped to that subscription.
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.
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 Azure management and governance — This question tests Describe Azure management and governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Policy with allowed VM SKU policy — Azure Policy with the 'Allowed virtual machine SKUs' built-in policy definition enforces which VM sizes can be deployed in a subscription or resource group. When assigned, this policy evaluates all VM creation or update requests and denies any that use a SKU not included in the allowed list, ensuring compliance with organizational standards.
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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Question Discussion
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