SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity
An organization is moving a virtual machine to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). According to the shared responsibility model, which of the following security tasks is the customer responsible for?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse IaaS with PaaS or SaaS, mistakenly thinking the provider handles all OS-level security, when in fact the customer is responsible for the guest OS in IaaS.
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
✓
Applying security updates to the guest operating system
In an IaaS deployment, the customer retains responsibility for securing the guest operating system, including applying security updates. Microsoft manages the physical infrastructure and hypervisor, while the customer must patch and configure the OS running inside the virtual machine.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Physical security of the datacenter
Why it's wrong here
In the Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model, Microsoft is solely responsible for the physical security of its global datacenters. This encompasses securing the physical buildings, controlling access, and deploying surveillance systems to protect the underlying hardware that hosts customer virtual machines. Customers have no access to or responsibility for these foundational physical controls, as they are managed entirely by the cloud provider.
- ✓
Applying security updates to the guest operating system
Why this is correct
For an Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) virtual machine, the customer retains full responsibility for managing and securing the guest operating system. This critical duty includes regularly applying security updates, patches, and hotfixes to the OS (e.g., Windows Server, Linux distributions) to mitigate vulnerabilities. Microsoft provides the underlying infrastructure, but the customer must actively maintain the OS's security posture, including anti-malware and firewall configurations.
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Maintaining the hypervisor
Why it's wrong here
The hypervisor, which is the software layer that creates and runs virtual machines, is a fundamental component of Azure's Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) platform. Microsoft is entirely responsible for maintaining, patching, and securing the hypervisor layer, ensuring its stability and integrity. Customers have no administrative access or operational responsibility for the hypervisor, as it forms part of the underlying cloud infrastructure managed by the provider.
- ✗
Power and cooling infrastructure
Why it's wrong here
Within the Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model, the provision and maintenance of power and cooling infrastructure are exclusively the responsibility of Microsoft. These essential environmental controls ensure the continuous operation and longevity of the physical servers and networking equipment within the datacenters. Customers are abstracted from these physical layer concerns, relying on Microsoft to manage the entire facility's operational environment.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Core Security Concepts
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.
Key term
Organization
An Organization is a top-level container in Google Cloud that represents your company or entities and serves as the root node for all your cloud resources, policies, and access control.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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