This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe cloud concepts. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
A hospital is migrating patient data to the cloud. The hospital is responsible for managing who can access the data and for encrypting the data before upload. The cloud provider is responsible for securing the physical datacenters, network infrastructure, and hypervisor. This division of security responsibilities is described by which model?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Shared responsibility model
The shared responsibility model defines the division of security obligations between the cloud provider and the customer. In this scenario, the hospital (customer) is responsible for identity and access management (IAM) and data encryption at rest and in transit, while the cloud provider secures the physical datacenter, network infrastructure, and hypervisor. This clear separation of duties is the core of the shared responsibility model, which varies by service model (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
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.
✓
Shared responsibility model
Why this is correct
Correct. The shared responsibility model clearly delineates security obligations between the customer and the provider.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Defense in depth is a strategy using multiple layers of security controls, not a division of responsibilities.
✗
Principle of least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Least privilege is about granting only necessary permissions, not about provider vs. customer responsibilities.
✗
Zero trust model
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Zero trust is a security model that assumes no trust by default, but it does not define who is responsible for what.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the shared responsibility model with defense in depth, because both involve security layers, but the question specifically asks about the division of responsibilities between two parties, not the layering of controls.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the shared responsibility model, the exact boundary shifts depending on the cloud service model: in IaaS, the customer manages more (OS, apps, data), while in SaaS, the provider handles most layers. For example, with Azure SQL Database (PaaS), Microsoft secures the physical server and database engine, but the customer must configure firewall rules, manage user logins, and encrypt sensitive columns using Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) or Always Encrypted. A real-world scenario is a healthcare organization using Azure Health Data Services, where the provider ensures HIPAA-compliant physical security, but the customer must implement role-based access control (RBAC) and client-side encryption for protected health information (PHI).
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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 cloud concepts — This question tests Describe cloud concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Shared responsibility model — The shared responsibility model defines the division of security obligations between the cloud provider and the customer. In this scenario, the hospital (customer) is responsible for identity and access management (IAM) and data encryption at rest and in transit, while the cloud provider secures the physical datacenter, network infrastructure, and hypervisor. This clear separation of duties is the core of the shared responsibility model, which varies by service model (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
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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