The answer is 99.9% uptime per month. This guarantee applies specifically when a single virtual machine uses Premium SSD or Ultra Disk storage for all its OS and data disks, as Microsoft considers this configuration part of the "single instance VM" SLA tier. The 99.9% figure reflects the lack of hardware redundancy—since there is only one VM, it remains vulnerable to host server or rack failures, unlike multi-instance deployments in an availability set or zone which can achieve 99.95% or 99.99%. On the AZ-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of how storage tier directly impacts SLA percentages; a common trap is assuming a single VM with Premium SSD gets a higher SLA, but the 99.9% is actually the baseline for any single instance. Remember the memory tip: "One VM, one tier—99.9 is clear."
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.
What does the Azure SLA guarantee for a single Virtual Machine with Premium SSD disk?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
99.9% uptime per month
The Azure SLA for a single Virtual Machine with Premium SSD disk guarantees 99.9% uptime per month. This is because Premium SSDs are part of the 'single instance VM' SLA tier, which requires the VM to use Premium SSD or Ultra Disk storage and have all OS and data disks on that tier. The 99.9% SLA applies when the VM is deployed with at least two instances in an availability set or availability zone, but for a single instance with Premium SSD, the SLA is 99.9% (not higher) because it lacks redundancy against host or rack failures.
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.
✗
99% uptime per month
Why it's wrong here
99% is below the single VM Premium SSD SLA — the actual SLA is 99.9%.
✓
99.9% uptime per month
Why this is correct
A single VM with Premium SSD has a 99.9% SLA (~8.7 hours maximum downtime per year).
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
99.95% uptime per month
Why it's wrong here
99.95% is the SLA for VMs in Availability Sets; a single VM guarantees 99.9%.
✗
99.99% uptime per month
Why it's wrong here
99.99% requires deployment across Availability Zones; a single VM only guarantees 99.9%.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the SLA for a single VM with Premium SSD (99.9%) with the higher SLA for multi-instance deployments (99.95% or 99.99%), or they mistakenly think Premium SSD alone guarantees 99.99% uptime.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Azure SLA for a single VM with Premium SSD is 99.9% because Premium SSDs provide higher durability and performance, but the VM still runs on a single physical host. If the host fails, the VM is unavailable until it is restarted on another host, which typically takes a few minutes. In contrast, deploying two or more VMs in an availability set or zone provides redundancy against host and rack failures, enabling a higher SLA of 99.95% or 99.99%.
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 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: 99.9% uptime per month — The Azure SLA for a single Virtual Machine with Premium SSD disk guarantees 99.9% uptime per month. This is because Premium SSDs are part of the 'single instance VM' SLA tier, which requires the VM to use Premium SSD or Ultra Disk storage and have all OS and data disks on that tier. The 99.9% SLA applies when the VM is deployed with at least two instances in an availability set or availability zone, but for a single instance with Premium SSD, the SLA is 99.9% (not higher) because it lacks redundancy against host or rack failures.
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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