- A
The cloud provider is fully responsible for patching all components.
Why wrong: In IaaS, the provider patches the physical infrastructure and hypervisor, but the customer patches the guest OS and applications. For SaaS, the provider handles everything, but the VMs are IaaS.
- B
The customer is responsible for patching the operating system of the virtual machines.
In the IaaS model, the customer manages the OS and applications on the VM, including applying security patches. The provider manages the underlying physical infrastructure.
- C
The cloud provider patches the OS for all services equally.
Why wrong: This is not accurate. In IaaS, the customer patches the OS; in SaaS, the provider patches everything. The responsibility is not equal across all service models.
- D
No patching is needed because the cloud handles everything.
Why wrong: This is false. Even in the cloud, patching is necessary, and the responsibility depends on the service model. IaaS requires customer OS patching.
MS-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question
This MS-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe cloud concepts. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 runs its customer relationship management (CRM) system using a cloud provider's SaaS offering. They also use virtual machines (IaaS) from the same provider to host a legacy application. In this scenario, who is responsible for patching the operating system of the virtual machines?
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
The customer is responsible for patching the operating system of the virtual machines.
In an IaaS model, the cloud provider is responsible for the security of the physical infrastructure, hypervisor, and network, but the customer retains responsibility for the guest operating system and applications. Since the virtual machines are IaaS resources, the customer must manage OS patches, updates, and configuration. This follows the shared responsibility model, where the customer is accountable for anything they configure or deploy within the virtual machine.
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.
- ✗
The cloud provider is fully responsible for patching all components.
- ✓
The customer is responsible for patching the operating system of the virtual machines.
- ✗
The cloud provider patches the OS for all services equally.
- ✗
No patching is needed because the cloud handles everything.
Why it's wrong here
This is false. Even in the cloud, patching is necessary, and the responsibility depends on the service model. IaaS requires customer OS patching.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the IaaS model with SaaS, assuming the cloud provider patches everything, but Microsoft explicitly tests the shared responsibility model where the customer patches the OS in IaaS.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the shared responsibility model (defined in the Microsoft Service Trust Portal and Azure documentation), the provider secures the physical host, network, and hypervisor, while the customer is responsible for the guest OS, including applying security updates via tools like Windows Update or Azure Update Manager. A real-world scenario is a customer running a legacy Windows Server 2012 R2 VM on Azure; if they fail to install critical patches, the VM remains vulnerable to exploits like EternalBlue, regardless of Azure's physical security.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this MS-900 question test?
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: The customer is responsible for patching the operating system of the virtual machines. — In an IaaS model, the cloud provider is responsible for the security of the physical infrastructure, hypervisor, and network, but the customer retains responsibility for the guest operating system and applications. Since the virtual machines are IaaS resources, the customer must manage OS patches, updates, and configuration. This follows the shared responsibility model, where the customer is accountable for anything they configure or deploy within the virtual machine.
What should I do if I get this MS-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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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