Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company runs multiple virtual machines (VMs) in Azure. The IT team notices that their VMs are hosted on physical hardware that is shared among multiple customers. The team has no ability to specify or control which physical server their VMs run on, and they cannot see the underlying hardware details. The VMs are, however, always available when requested. This scenario exemplifies which essential characteristic of cloud computing as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)?
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.
A
Distractor review
On-demand self-service
On-demand self-service refers to a user's ability to provision computing resources as needed without requiring human interaction with the service provider. The scenario does not describe the provisioning process; it describes the lack of visibility into shared physical hardware.
B
Distractor review
Broad network access
Broad network access means resources are available over the network and can be accessed by standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms. The scenario focuses on hardware abstraction and multi-tenancy, not network accessibility.
C
Best answer
Resource pooling
Resource pooling is the characteristic where the provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple customers using a multi-tenant model, with physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to demand. The customer has no knowledge or control over the exact location of the provided resources, which matches the scenario described.
D
Distractor review
Rapid elasticity
Rapid elasticity is the ability to quickly and elastically scale resources up or down, often automatically. The scenario does not discuss scaling behavior; it describes the sharing of physical infrastructure without customer control over the underlying hardware.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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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?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Resource pooling — The NIST definition of cloud computing includes five essential characteristics: On-demand self-service, Broad network access, Resource pooling, Rapid elasticity, and Measured service. Resource pooling specifically describes the multi-tenant model where the provider's physical resources are shared among customers, and the customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the resources (e.g., which physical server). This is exactly what the IT team is observing: they cannot specify or see the underlying physical hardware.
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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