Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Practice Test (AZ-900)

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is the most suitable option for hosting a complex, multi-tier application composed of microservices. AKS simplifies the deployment, management, and operations of Kubernetes and provides features such as auto-scaling, self-healing, and load balancing, enabling the team to manage each microservice independently based on its specific requirements. Choosing individual virtual machines would not provide the same level of operational efficiency or the orchestration benefits needed for microservices, and while Web Apps and Azure Functions are suitable for specific scenarios, they do not offer the same level of control and flexibility required for complex microservice architectures.

Azure File Sync synchronizes files between on-premises Windows Servers and Azure, ensuring data is consistent and up-to-date across both locations. It is designed for scenarios requiring ongoing synchronization.

AzCopy is a command-line tool for transferring data to and from Azure Storage but does not support continuous synchronization.

Azure Storage Explorer provides a graphical interface for managing Azure Storage but lacks synchronization capabilities.

Azure Data Factory is used for data integration and movement but is not intended for file synchronization between servers and Azure Storage.

Single sign-on lets users authenticate once and then access multiple applications and resources without being prompted again, delivering a seamless user experience.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra verification factor to strengthen security, but using MFA alone does not automatically give users access to other applications after they sign in.

Passwordless authentication replaces the password with a strong credential (for example, Microsoft Authenticator or a FIDO2 key) but still requires a sign-in to each application unless SSO is also configured.

Conditional Access evaluates signals such as user location, device compliance, and risk to decide whether to allow, block, or require additional authentication. Although Conditional Access policies can include session controls like sign-in frequency, they are not an authentication method that automatically grants access across multiple apps after a single sign-in.

The company is experiencing the benefit of manageability. Cloud computing offers centralized management tools that simplify administration tasks like monitoring, updating, and policy enforcement across all resources. While scalability refers to the ability to adjust resources based on demand, high availability ensures systems are operational with minimal downtime, and cost efficiency relates to reduced expenses. These are benefits of cloud computing but do not specifically address the centralized administration of resources.

Datacenters are the physical facilities that house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. They are the backbone of Microsoft Azure, providing the physical infrastructure necessary to run cloud services. Datacenters are where the hardware, storage, and computing resources live, and they enable the delivery of various cloud services.

ARM templates are authored in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) files. The JSON structure lets you declaratively specify the Azure resources, their properties, and relationships in a consistent and repeatable way across environments. During deployment, Azure Resource Manager interprets the JSON template and issues the necessary REST API calls. YAML, XML, and HCL are not valid formats for ARM templates.

When creating an Azure virtual machine, specifying a virtual network is mandatory because the VM needs to be connected to a network to function properly. The virtual network allows the VM to communicate with other resources and services.

While a public IP address, a network security group, and joining an Azure Active Directory domain are optional configurations, the virtual network is essential for the VM's connectivity.

Microsoft Entra Domain Services provides managed domain services like LDAP, Kerberos, NTLM authentication, and Group Policy without the need to deploy or manage domain controllers. It is designed to support legacy applications in Azure that cannot use modern authentication methods.

Microsoft Entra ID offers identity and access management but does not support LDAP or Kerberos authentication directly.

Azure Virtual Machines would require setting up and maintaining domain controllers, increasing administrative effort.

Azure Key Vault is used for secure storage of keys and secrets, not for providing directory services.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a comprehensive security management tool that provides threat protection across Azure services, hybrid applications, and connected AWS instances. It offers enhanced security features such as continuous assessment and actionable security recommendations, unlike other services that have different primary purposes. Azure Sentinel is a SIEM/SOAR solution that aggregates data but does not provide the extent of direct threat protection that Defender offers. Azure Firewall is a network security service, and Advanced Threat Protection is a feature within services like Azure SQL Database, but not a standalone service that provides the broad and continuous security management needed.

Azure Service Health is the tool designed to keep you informed about the health of Azure services and regions that you use. It offers a personalized view of ongoing incidents, planned maintenance, and health advisories and lets you set up alerts so you are notified through email, SMS, or other channels. It does not collect or display performance metrics from your applications. Azure Monitor and its Application Insights feature handle application-level telemetry, and Azure Advisor offers best-practice recommendations rather than health alerts.

Azure Cloud Shell is a browser-based shell environment that allows you to run Bash or PowerShell commands directly within the Azure portal. It provides a ready-to-use shell with common tools pre-installed, enabling you to manage Azure resources without installing anything locally. Azure CLI and Azure PowerShell are command-line tools that typically require local installation. The Azure portal is a graphical interface and does not natively support running Bash or PowerShell scripts.

In the shared responsibility model, the customer is responsible for managing their data and access controls, ensuring that their applications and services are configured securely. Azure handles the physical infrastructure, including data center security, network infrastructure, and hardware maintenance. Therefore, managing data and access controls is the customer's responsibility, while the other options are managed by Azure as part of the cloud service.

ARM templates are JSON files that define the infrastructure and configuration for your project. They allow you to deploy a variety of resources in a consistent state, while enabling repeated deployments in an automated manner without manual intervention, making them ideal for deploying multiple similar environments for testing purposes. Other options, such as Azure Advisor and Azure Cloud Shell, are not designed specifically for template-driven deployment of multiple resources.

Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers fully functional applications over the internet that users can access via a web browser. In SaaS, the cloud provider is responsible for hosting, maintaining, and updating both the application and the underlying infrastructure. Users do not need to install or manage the applications on their own devices. This differs from Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), where users manage operating systems and applications, and Platform as a Service (PaaS), which provides an environment for users to develop and deploy applications without managing the underlying infrastructure but does not provide ready-to-use applications.

Azure Blob Storage is optimized for storing massive amounts of unstructured data, such as text and binary data. This service is designed for high durability, availability, and scalability, which makes it suitable for storing large-scale object data. It is commonly used for storing files for distributed access, streaming video and audio, storing backups and disaster recovery, and much more.