Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company is migrating its on-premises infrastructure to Azure. In the past, to provision a new server, the IT team had to submit a formal request to the data center operations team. The operations team would then procure hardware, install the operating system, configure networking, and make the server available. This process often took several weeks. After migrating to Azure, a developer can log into the Azure portal, select a virtual machine configuration, and have it provisioned and running within minutes, without any need to interact with Azure support or operations staff. Which essential characteristic of cloud computing does this scenario best illustrate?
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
Rapid elasticity
Incorrect. Rapid elasticity refers to the ability to quickly scale resources up or down based on demand. While provisioning a VM is related to scaling, the scenario specifically highlights the ability to provision resources automatically without human interaction, which is on-demand self-service.
B
Best answer
On-demand self-service
Correct. On-demand self-service is the cloud characteristic that allows users to provision and manage computing resources as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with the service provider.
C
Distractor review
Resource pooling
Incorrect. Resource pooling refers to the provider's ability to serve multiple customers from a shared pool of physical resources (multi-tenancy). The scenario focuses on the provisioning process, not the sharing of resources.
D
Distractor review
Measured service
Incorrect. Measured service refers to the metering and billing of cloud resource usage, such as pay-per-use. The scenario does not mention billing or metering.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
Related practice questions
Related AZ-900 practice-question pages
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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?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: On-demand self-service — This scenario best illustrates on-demand self-service, one of the five essential characteristics of cloud computing as defined by NIST. On-demand self-service means that a consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities (e.g., server time, network storage) automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider. The ability for a developer to provision a VM directly from the portal without IT intervention is a prime example. Rapid elasticity (A) is about scaling, resource pooling (C) is about multi-tenancy, and measured service (D) is about metering usage.
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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