- A
Locally Redundant Storage (LRS)
Why wrong: LRS replicates data three times within a single datacenter. It protects against server rack and drive failures but not against a full datacenter or regional outage. Therefore, it does not meet the requirement for surviving a complete regional outage.
- B
Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS)
Why wrong: ZRS replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within a primary region. It protects against a zone failure but not against a full regional outage. Data is not replicated to a secondary region, so it does not satisfy the requirement.
- C
Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS)
Why wrong: GRS replicates data to a paired secondary region, providing resilience against a regional outage. However, to access data in the secondary region, a customer must initiate a manual failover (or rely on Microsoft-managed failover for rare events). The question specifies 'without any manual failover,' so GRS alone does not meet the requirement.
- D
Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS)
RA-GRS is identical to GRS in replication (data is copied to a secondary region), but it additionally enables read access to the secondary region at all times. If the primary region fails, data is automatically readable from the secondary endpoint without any manual failover steps, exactly matching the requirement. (The same logic applies to RA-GZRS for zone-redundant geo-replication.)
Quick Answer
Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) is the correct choice because it combines geo-redundancy, which replicates your data to a secondary region for disaster recovery, with automatic read access to that secondary copy without requiring any manual failover. This means that if the primary region suffers a complete outage, your backup files remain automatically accessible for read operations from the secondary region, satisfying the requirement for zero manual intervention. On the AZ-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of the key difference between standard GRS and RA-GRS: while both provide geo-redundancy, only RA-GRS grants immediate read access to the secondary region during an outage. A common trap is selecting GRS alone, which requires a manual failover to enable reads. To remember this, think of the “RA” as “Read Always” — with RA-GRS, you can always read from the secondary, even before a failover is declared.
AZ-900 Describe Azure architecture and services Practice Question
This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe azure architecture and services. 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.
A company uses Azure Blob Storage to store backup files that must survive a complete regional outage. The company needs the data to be automatically accessible from a secondary region if the primary region becomes unavailable, without any manual failover. Which storage redundancy option should the company use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS)
Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) is the correct choice because it provides geo-redundancy (data replicated to a secondary region for disaster recovery) and, crucially, enables read access to the secondary region without requiring a manual failover. This ensures that if the primary region becomes unavailable, the data is automatically accessible from the secondary region for read operations, meeting the requirement of no manual intervention.
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.
- ✗
Locally Redundant Storage (LRS)
Why it's wrong here
LRS replicates data three times within a single datacenter. It protects against server rack and drive failures but not against a full datacenter or regional outage. Therefore, it does not meet the requirement for surviving a complete regional outage.
- ✗
Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS)
Why it's wrong here
ZRS replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within a primary region. It protects against a zone failure but not against a full regional outage. Data is not replicated to a secondary region, so it does not satisfy the requirement.
- ✗
Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS)
Why it's wrong here
GRS replicates data to a paired secondary region, providing resilience against a regional outage. However, to access data in the secondary region, a customer must initiate a manual failover (or rely on Microsoft-managed failover for rare events). The question specifies 'without any manual failover,' so GRS alone does not meet the requirement.
- ✓
Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS)
Why this is correct
RA-GRS is identical to GRS in replication (data is copied to a secondary region), but it additionally enables read access to the secondary region at all times. If the primary region fails, data is automatically readable from the secondary endpoint without any manual failover steps, exactly matching the requirement. (The same logic applies to RA-GZRS for zone-redundant geo-replication.)
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose GRS (Option C) because they know it provides geo-replication, but they overlook the 'without any manual failover' requirement, which only RA-GRS satisfies by offering automatic read access to the secondary region.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, RA-GRS uses asynchronous replication to copy data from the primary region to a paired secondary region (e.g., East US to West US), with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of typically 15 minutes. The 'read-access' feature exposes a separate read-only endpoint (e.g., `https://<storageaccount>-secondary.blob.core.windows.net`) that is always available for reads, even while the primary region is healthy. In a real-world scenario, if a regional disaster strikes, applications can immediately switch to the secondary endpoint for read operations without waiting for a failover, which is critical for business continuity.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 question test?
Describe Azure architecture and services — This question tests Describe Azure architecture and services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) — Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) is the correct choice because it provides geo-redundancy (data replicated to a secondary region for disaster recovery) and, crucially, enables read access to the secondary region without requiring a manual failover. This ensures that if the primary region becomes unavailable, the data is automatically accessible from the secondary region for read operations, meeting the requirement of no manual intervention.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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