A company plans to migrate a line-of-business application to Azure virtual machines (IaaS). The company's security team is reviewing the shared responsibility model to determine which security tasks are handled by Microsoft. Which of the following security responsibilities belongs to Microsoft?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Configuring operating system firewalls on the virtual machines
This is incorrect. Configuring the guest OS firewall is the responsibility of the customer because the customer manages the operating system and its settings in an IaaS environment.
Distractor review
Patching the guest operating system of the virtual machines
This is incorrect. The customer is responsible for patching and maintaining the guest operating system on Azure virtual machines. Microsoft patches the underlying hypervisor, but not the guest OS.
Best answer
Maintaining physical security of the datacenter where the servers are hosted
This is correct. Under the shared responsibility model, Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of its datacenters, including access controls, surveillance, and environmental controls. This is a core responsibility of the cloud provider.
Distractor review
Managing application-level user authentication and authorization
This is incorrect. Application-level authentication and authorization are managed by the customer because they own and operate the application. Microsoft provides identity services like Azure AD but the customer must configure and manage access policies.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Authentication checks who the user is.
- Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
- Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
- AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
- Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
- Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
- Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A developer is building a serverless application that requires integration with an on-premises SQL Server database for real-time data processing. The on-premises network is connected to Azure via a site-to-site VPN. Which Azure service would allow the function to securely access the on-premises database without exposing it to the public internet?
Question 2
A solutions architect is designing a storage solution for a large media company. The company needs to store video files that are accessed infrequently but must be retained for several years for compliance. Which two Azure storage options meet these requirements? (Select two.)
Question 3
A company deploys a multi-tier application using Azure virtual machines. The web tier VMs must be evenly distributed across two distinct data centers within an Azure region to avoid a single point of failure from an infrastructure outage. Which Azure construct should they use to meet this requirement?
Question 4
A company wants to enforce a set of security policies across all their Azure subscriptions. They have created several individual policy definitions. Which Azure construct should they use to group these policies together and assign them as a single package?
Question 5
A company deploys a line-of-business application on an Azure virtual machine. The IT team wants to ensure the application remains secure. According to the shared responsibility model, which of the following security tasks is the sole responsibility of the customer (the company)?
Question 6
A company develops a web API that runs on Azure App Service. The development team wants to deploy a new version of the API to a staging environment, run integration tests against it, and then gradually shift production traffic to the new version. If any issues are detected, they want to immediately roll back to the previous version without redeploying. Which Azure App Service feature should the team use to meet these requirements?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 question test?
Authentication checks who the user is.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Maintaining physical security of the datacenter where the servers are hosted — Under the shared responsibility model for IaaS, Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of the datacenter, including the hardware, network, and physical access controls. The customer is responsible for securing the guest operating system, applications, and data. Configuring operating system firewalls, patching the guest OS, and managing application-level authentication are all customer responsibilities.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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