AZ-900 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: For full authentication, which of the following might require both a password and a security question?

Multi-Factor Authentication (Correct answer)
Azure Firewall
Application Gateway

Correct answer: Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a security system that requires more than one method of verification to grant access. It typically combines something the user knows (like a password), something the user has (like a phone for a code), or something the user is (like a fingerprint). Requiring both a password and a security question adds an extra layer of security, making it a form of MFA.

Question 2: When you try to create several managed Microsoft SQL Server instances in an Azure environment, you get a notice telling you that your Azure subscription limitations need to be increased. What should you do to increase the limits?

Create a new support request (Correct answer)
Create a service health alert
Modify an Azure policy
Upgrade your support plan

Correct answer: Create a new support request

Azure subscriptions have default service limits to manage resource consumption and prevent abuse. If you encounter a message indicating that your subscription limits need to be increased for a specific service, the standard procedure is to submit a new support request to Microsoft Azure. The Azure support team will then review your request and adjust the limits if appropriate.

Question 3: In Azure, a platform as a service (PaaS) solution that hosts web apps gives you complete control over the operating systems that host applications. Is the statement correct?

No (Correct answer)
Yes

Correct answer: No

Platform as a Service (PaaS) solutions, such as Azure Web Apps, provide a managed environment for deploying and running applications. While PaaS gives developers control over their applications and data, it abstracts away the underlying infrastructure, including the operating system. Microsoft manages the operating system, patching, and scaling, meaning users do not have complete control over the OS.

Question 4: _________ refers to a system's capacity to scale dynamically.

Scalability
Extensibility
Agility
Elasticity (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Elasticity

Elasticity refers to a system's capacity to automatically and dynamically scale resources up or down in response to changing demand. This means resources can be provisioned or de-provisioned quickly and automatically to match workload fluctuations, ensuring optimal performance and cost efficiency. Scalability is a broader concept, but elasticity specifically emphasizes this dynamic, automatic adjustment.

Question 5: By changing the pricing tier, a Platform as a Service (PaaS) solution that runs web apps in Azure can be provided additional memory. Is the statement correct or incorrect?

No
Yes (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Yes

In Azure, many Platform as a Service (PaaS) solutions, including web apps, offer different pricing tiers that correspond to varying levels of resources like CPU, memory, and storage. By changing the pricing tier (e.g., from Basic to Standard or Premium), you can easily scale up the underlying resources, including providing additional memory, without needing to reconfigure the application or infrastructure.

Question 6: What are two of the public cloud's characteristics?

metered pricing (Correct answer)
Self-service management (Correct answer)
dedicated hardware
limited storage
unsecured connections

Correct answer: metered pricing

Public clouds are characterized by several key features. Metered pricing (or pay-as-you-go) means you only pay for the resources you consume, making it cost-effective. Self-service management allows users to provision and manage their cloud resources independently through a web portal or APIs, without requiring direct interaction with the provider. These characteristics define the flexibility and economic model of public cloud services.

Question 7: Which of the following allows you to give users only the permissions they require to do their jobs?

Compliance Manager
Role-Based Access Control (Correct answer)
Azure Policy

Correct answer: Role-Based Access Control

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is an authorization system that allows you to manage who has access to Azure resources and what they can do with those resources. By assigning specific roles (e.g., Reader, Contributor, Owner) to users or groups, you can implement the principle of least privilege, ensuring individuals only have the necessary permissions to perform their job functions, thereby enhancing security.

Question 8: Multiple account administrators can be found in each Azure subscription. Is the statement correct?

No (Correct answer)
Yes

Correct answer: No

Each Azure subscription can only have one Account Administrator, who is the owner of the subscription and responsible for billing. While an Azure subscription can have multiple Service Administrators, Co-Administrators, and users with various RBAC permissions, the primary 'Account Administrator' role is singular. Therefore, the statement that there can be multiple account administrators is incorrect.

Question 9: Azure allows us greater flexibility between capital investment (CapEx) and operational expense (OpEx). Is this statement accurate?

No
Yes (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Yes

Azure, as a cloud platform, primarily operates on an operational expense (OpEx) model. Instead of large upfront capital expenditures (CapEx) for purchasing hardware and infrastructure, businesses pay for resources as they consume them on a subscription or pay-as-you-go basis. This shift from CapEx to OpEx provides greater financial flexibility and allows companies to scale their IT costs with their business needs.

Question 10: __________ refers to a system's ability to run continuously for long periods of time without any interruption.

High Availability (Correct answer)
Fault Tolerance
Agility
Disaster Recovery

Correct answer: High Availability

High Availability (HA) refers to a system's ability to remain operational and accessible for extended periods, minimizing downtime. It involves designing systems with redundancy and failover mechanisms to ensure that services continue to function even if individual components fail. This characteristic is crucial for applications that require continuous operation without interruption.

Question 11: Your company intends to move all of its data and resources to Azure. Only Platform as a Service (PaaS) solutions are allowed on Azure, according to the company's migration plan. You must set up an Azure environment that complies with the company's migration strategy. Solution: Azure virtual machines, Azure SQL databases, and Azure Storage accounts are all created by you. Is this performing the task?

No (Correct answer)
Yes

Correct answer: No

The company's migration plan explicitly states that *only* Platform as a Service (PaaS) solutions are allowed. While Azure SQL databases and Azure Storage accounts are indeed PaaS offerings, Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) are classified as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). IaaS provides users with control over the operating system and software, which contradicts the 'only PaaS' requirement of the migration strategy. Therefore, creating VMs does not comply with the plan.

Question 12: You are in charge of _________ when implementing a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution.

defining scalability rules.
installing the SaaS solution.
configuring the SaaS solution. (Correct answer)
configuring high availability.

Correct answer: configuring the SaaS solution.

In a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, the vendor is responsible for managing the underlying infrastructure, operating system, and application code. As a customer, your primary responsibility is to configure the SaaS solution to align with your specific business requirements. This includes setting up users, permissions, workflows, and customizing features, rather than managing infrastructure aspects like scalability or installation.

Question 13: Which of the following defines performance targets for an Azure product or service, such as uptime?

Support Plans
Usage Meters
Service Level Agreements (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Service Level Agreements

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are formal contracts between Microsoft and its customers that define the performance targets and reliability commitments for Azure products and services. These agreements specify key metrics such as uptime percentages, data durability, and response times. If Azure services fail to meet these guaranteed performance levels, the SLA typically outlines the conditions for service credits.

Question 14: Only a Microsoft account can be used to administer each Azure subscription. Is the statement correct?

No (Correct answer)
Yes

Correct answer: No

No, the statement is incorrect. While a Microsoft account can be used to administer an Azure subscription, it is not the only option. Azure subscriptions can also be administered using an organizational account (work or school account) from Azure Active Directory (now Microsoft Entra ID), allowing businesses to manage access and permissions for their employees using their corporate identities.

Question 15: You continue to pay storage expenses associated with an Azure virtual machine even if it is stopped. Is the statement correct?

No
Yes (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Yes

Yes, the statement is correct. When an Azure virtual machine (VM) is stopped and deallocated, you cease paying for the compute resources (CPU, memory) associated with it. However, the storage disks (OS disk and data disks) attached to that VM continue to exist and store your data, thus incurring ongoing storage costs. These costs persist because the data remains provisioned and available for when the VM is restarted.

Question 16: As the company , they will be able to _____ the price per unit for its clients. The principle of economies of scale is what it's called.

grows, decrease (Correct answer)
grows, increase
shrinks, decrease

Correct answer: grows, decrease

The principle of economies of scale dictates that as a company grows and increases its production or service volume, the cost per unit tends to decrease. This is because fixed costs are spread over a larger output, and the company can often achieve greater efficiencies or negotiate better prices with suppliers. Consequently, a growing company can typically decrease the price per unit for its clients.

AZ-900

For full authentication, which of the following might require both a password and a security question?