AZ-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question
A hospital stores patient data in the cloud. The hospital is responsible for encrypting the data before uploading, managing user access, and complying with healthcare regulations. The cloud provider is responsible for securing the physical datacenter, network infrastructure, and hypervisor. This model describes which concept?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the shared responsibility model with a specific service model (IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS), but the question is about the security accountability framework itself, not the type of cloud service being consumed.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
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 scenario explicitly divides security responsibilities between the hospital (data encryption, access management, regulatory compliance) and the cloud provider (physical datacenter, network, hypervisor). This division of security obligations is the core definition of the shared responsibility model, which applies across all cloud service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) but is most clearly illustrated here where the customer retains control over data and identity layers.
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
The Shared Responsibility Model is the core security framework for cloud computing, explicitly dividing security obligations between the cloud provider and the customer. In this hospital scenario, the provider is responsible for the physical infrastructure and underlying services, while the hospital retains duties such as managing data confidentiality, identity access, and encryption. This division applies across all service types, making it the correct answer.
- ✗
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Why it's wrong here
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a service model that gives the customer the most control and responsibility, including managing operating systems and applications, while the provider handles only the physical infrastructure. Although IaaS demonstrates a shared responsibility split, it is just a delivery mode, not the foundational principle that governs cloud security. The scenario does not specify infrastructure-level services; it simply illustrates the general allocation of security tasks.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asking: 'Which cloud service model provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, where the customer manages OS, applications, and data, while the provider manages the physical hardware?' would make IaaS correct.
- ✗
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Why it's wrong here
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a specific cloud service category that provides a managed platform for application development. While PaaS does involve some shared responsibilities—the provider handles the runtime and middleware, and the customer manages the application and its data—it does not define the overall concept of duty division. The scenario highlights the general principle of shared security obligations, not a particular service model.
When this WOULD be correct
A company wants to deploy a web app without managing the underlying OS or runtime environment. The provider handles the platform (OS, middleware, runtime) and the customer only uploads code and manages the app. This scenario would make PaaS the correct answer.
- ✗
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Why it's wrong here
Software as a Service (SaaS) shifts most security responsibilities to the provider, who manages the application, runtime, and underlying infrastructure. However, the customer still retains critical duties such as controlling user access, classifying data, and ensuring compliance with regulations like HIPAA. Because the hospital has significant security obligations in the scenario, SaaS cannot be the correct answer as it minimizes the customer's role.
When this WOULD be correct
A company uses a cloud-based email service where the provider manages everything from infrastructure to application, and the customer only uses the software. The question would ask: 'Which cloud service model gives the customer the least control?'
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-900 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Shared responsibility modelCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
The Shared Responsibility Model is the core security framework for cloud computing, explicitly dividing security obligations between the cloud provider and the customer. In this hospital scenario, the provider is responsible for the physical infrastructure and underlying services, while the hospital retains duties such as managing data confidentiality, identity access, and encryption. This division applies across all service types, making it the correct answer.
✗Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question describes a division of security responsibilities between hospital and provider, which is the shared responsibility model, not a specific service model like IaaS.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asking: 'Which cloud service model provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, where the customer manages OS, applications, and data, while the provider manages the physical hardware?' would make IaaS correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the shared responsibility model with IaaS because in IaaS the customer has significant control and responsibility, similar to the hospital's responsibilities in the scenario.
✗Platform as a Service (PaaS)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question describes responsibilities split between the hospital and the cloud provider, which is the shared responsibility model. PaaS would mean the provider manages the platform (OS, runtime) and the customer only manages applications and data, but here the hospital manages encryption and access, which aligns with shared responsibility, not PaaS.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company wants to deploy a web app without managing the underlying OS or runtime environment. The provider handles the platform (OS, middleware, runtime) and the customer only uploads code and manages the app. This scenario would make PaaS the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the shared responsibility model with PaaS because both involve division of responsibilities, but PaaS specifically shifts more management to the provider (e.g., OS patching), whereas the question explicitly states the hospital manages encryption and access, which is not typical PaaS.
✗Software as a Service (SaaS)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
SaaS provides the entire application stack managed by the provider, but the question describes shared responsibilities (e.g., customer manages encryption and access) which is the shared responsibility model, not SaaS.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company uses a cloud-based email service where the provider manages everything from infrastructure to application, and the customer only uses the software. The question would ask: 'Which cloud service model gives the customer the least control?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the shared responsibility model with SaaS because both involve the provider handling security, but they overlook that the question explicitly lists customer responsibilities, which is not typical for SaaS.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-900blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
What is Cloud Computing?
Key term
SaaS
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud computing model where you use software over the internet without installing it on your own computer.
Key term
Shared responsibility
Shared responsibility is a cloud security model where the cloud provider and the customer each own distinct parts of security and compliance duties.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every AZ-900 question from scratch — 981 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-900 exam.