Question 130 of 1,411

Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity →mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Shared Responsibility Model in Azure IaaS: Microsoft vs Customer Responsibilities

This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters.. 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.

An organization is migrating its on-premises applications to Azure Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). According to the shared responsibility model, which of the following security responsibilities remain with Microsoft? (Select two.)

A
Physical security of the datacenters
Correct. Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of its datacenters, including perimeter fencing, guards, biometric access, and environmental controls like cooling and power.
B
Network controls at the hypervisor layer
Correct. The hypervisor and the underlying network fabric (e.g., virtual switches) are managed by Microsoft. They ensure isolation between tenants and protect against attacks on the virtualization platform.
C
Patching the guest operating system on the VM
Why wrong: Incorrect. The customer is responsible for maintaining the guest OS, including applying security patches and updates. Microsoft only patches the host OS and hypervisor.
D
Configuring network security group (NSG) firewall rules
Why wrong: Incorrect. NSG rules are customer-managed. The customer must define inbound and outbound traffic rules to protect their VMs. Microsoft does not configure customer-specific firewall policies.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Physical security of the datacenters

In the shared responsibility model for IaaS, Microsoft retains responsibility for the physical security of its datacenters, including access controls, surveillance, and environmental protections. Additionally, Microsoft manages security at the hypervisor layer, which includes network controls that isolate virtual machines from each other and from the underlying host. These responsibilities are inherent to the infrastructure provider and cannot be delegated to the customer.

Key principle: Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters.

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 datacenters
Why this is correct
Correct. Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of its datacenters, including perimeter fencing, guards, biometric access, and environmental controls like cooling and power.
Related concept
Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters.
✓
Network controls at the hypervisor layer
Why this is correct
Correct. The hypervisor and the underlying network fabric (e.g., virtual switches) are managed by Microsoft. They ensure isolation between tenants and protect against attacks on the virtualization platform.
Related concept
Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters.
✗
Patching the guest operating system on the VM
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The customer is responsible for maintaining the guest OS, including applying security patches and updates. Microsoft only patches the host OS and hypervisor.
✗
Configuring network security group (NSG) firewall rules
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. NSG rules are customer-managed. The customer must define inbound and outbound traffic rules to protect their VMs. Microsoft does not configure customer-specific firewall policies.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse patching responsibilities, assuming Microsoft patches the guest OS in IaaS, or mistakenly think NSG configuration is a Microsoft responsibility because it is a built-in Azure feature.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

The hypervisor layer network controls include virtual switch policies and VLAN isolation that prevent VM-to-VM traffic from bypassing the host, enforced by the Azure Fabric Controller. Physical datacenter security involves multi-factor authentication at perimeter doors, biometric scanners, and 24/7 monitoring, all audited under SOC 2 and ISO 27001. In contrast, NSG rules are stateful firewall rules evaluated by the Azure host networking stack, but their configuration is entirely under customer control via the Azure portal, CLI, or ARM templates.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters.
Physical security includes guards, fences, biometric access, and environmental controls.
This falls under 'security *of* the cloud' in the shared responsibility model.
For IaaS, Microsoft secures the host OS and hypervisor, not the guest OS.

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

Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters., then practise related SC-900 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SC-900 question test?

Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — This question tests Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Physical security of the datacenters — In the shared responsibility model for IaaS, Microsoft retains responsibility for the physical security of its datacenters, including access controls, surveillance, and environmental protections. Additionally, Microsoft manages security at the hypervisor layer, which includes network controls that isolate virtual machines from each other and from the underlying host. These responsibilities are inherent to the infrastructure provider and cannot be delegated to the customer.

What should I do if I get this SC-900 question wrong?

Review microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters., then practise related SC-900 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of Azure datacenters.

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Same concept, more angles

2 more ways this is tested on SC-900

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. A company is migrating its on-premises applications to Azure. The CIO states that the company is fully responsible for managing the security of its own applications and data, while Microsoft is responsible for the security of the underlying physical infrastructure, such as hardware and data centers. This division of security responsibilities is an example of which concept?

easy

A.Defense in depth
✓ B.Shared responsibility model
C.Zero Trust
D.Least privilege

Why B: The scenario directly describes the shared responsibility model, which delineates security obligations between the cloud provider and the customer. Microsoft secures the physical infrastructure (hardware, data centers, networking), while the customer is responsible for securing their own applications, data, and identity management. This division is a foundational concept in cloud computing, explicitly defined in Microsoft's documentation for Azure.

Variation 2. A company is migrating its on-premises applications to Azure Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). According to the shared responsibility model, which of the following security responsibilities shifts from the customer to Microsoft during this migration?

medium

✓ A.Physical security of the data center infrastructure
B.Configuring network security groups (NSGs)
C.Patching the operating system on virtual machines
D.Managing user identities and access to the application

Why A: When migrating on-premises applications to Azure IaaS, the shared responsibility model shifts physical security responsibilities—such as data center access controls, environmental controls, and hardware security—from the customer to Microsoft. Microsoft is responsible for the physical security of all Azure data centers, including perimeter security, surveillance, and facility access management, which were previously the customer's responsibility in their own on-premises environment.

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