Free Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Practice Test

ARM templates support declarative syntax, allowing users to define the 'what' instead of the 'how' in their infrastructure. This ensures consistency and repeatability in deployments, as the same template can be used to set up identical environments multiple times without manual configuration. Answer choices that mention 'procedural syntax' or 'individual deployment' do not align with the nature of ARM templates which are intended for declarative, consistent resource deployment.

Azure Resource Manager is the deployment and management service for Azure. It provides a management layer that enables you to create, update, and delete resources in your Azure account. Using it, you can manage your infrastructure through declarative templates rather than scripting. It ensures that all resources in a solution are consistently deployed with a single, coordinated operation. Answers mentioning solely cost management or as a security feature are incorrect, as these are distinct aspects that might be facilitated by ARM but are not its primary role.

In the shared responsibility model, the customer is responsible for securing their data, applications, and identity management, while the cloud provider is tasked with the security of the cloud infrastructure itself, such as physical hosts and network infrastructure. This is why it's essential for customers to implement their own security measures for their data and applications that reside in the cloud.

Built-in roles are provided by Azure to cover the most common needs for access permissions, such as Owner, Contributor, and Reader. These roles are designed by Azure and cannot be changed. In contrast, custom roles can be created by users to grant specific permissions not covered by built-in roles. Custom roles are flexible and can be tailored to an organization's specific needs, allowing precise control over access to Azure resources. This distinction is critical in creating a security environment that both protects resources and provides sufficient access for users to perform their jobs effectively.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offers virtualized computing resources such as virtual machines, storage, and networks over the internet. Users can deploy and run their applications without managing the underlying physical servers, making it a flexible and scalable option for businesses.

Azure Monitor is the best choice for collecting and analyzing performance metrics and resource usage data across various Azure resources. It provides a comprehensive solution for monitoring the health and performance of your applications, infrastructure, and network. Azure Monitor can collect data at different granularities, aggregate it for analysis, and initiate actions based on insights derived from the data, making it the optimal tool for this task. While other services like Application Insights and Log Analytics are parts of Azure Monitor, they are more specialized tools. Application Insights is tailored specifically for web applications, whereas Log Analytics is a tool within Azure Monitor for querying and analyzing log data across different resources.

Private endpoints allow Azure resources to be accessed via a private IP address within a Virtual Network, ensuring that the backend databases would not be accessible from the public internet, but only through the internal network. In contrast, public endpoints are reachable over the public internet, which would not meet the company's requirement for backend security.

AzCopy is a command-line utility designed for copying data to and from Microsoft Azure Blob, File, and Table storage, using simple commands with optimal performance. It is especially good for automating the migration of large amounts of data, as it supports resume on failure capabilities, which is necessary for handling interruptions during the data transfer process. This makes it the best choice for the company's requirements. Azure Storage Explorer offers a graphical interface for managing Azure storage data but does not inherently support automation or resumable transfers. Azure File Sync is for synchronizing files between Azure File shares and on-premises Windows Servers, which does not align with the requirement to migrate data to Blob Storage.

The Cool tier is optimized for storing data that is infrequently accessed and stored for at least 30 days, such as backup data or older media content. This tier provides a cost-effective way to store data that is not accessed frequently but requires fast access when needed. The Hot tier is suitable for data accessed frequently, and the Archive tier is used for data that can tolerate several hours of retrieval latency and is stored for at least 180 days. Premium Performance tier is an incorrect term and does not represent any of the Azure Storage tiers.

The correct answer is 'Automated software updates and patch management', as cloud providers typically handle the maintenance of underlying infrastructure, including the management of software updates and patching, which reduces the burden on in-house IT teams. This streamlines operations and helps to ensure that systems remain secure and up-to-date with minimal intervention. 'Reduced initial setup cost’ while a benefit of cloud computing, is not directly related to manageability. 'Unlimited physical access to servers' is incorrect because physical access is typically restricted and not a factor in cloud manageability. 'Custom hardware configuration' is not a key benefit of manageability; on the contrary, one of the points of manageability in the cloud is reducing the need for custom hardware solutions.

The consumption-based model is a billing approach where users pay only for the resources they consume, such as storage, processing time, or bandwidth, rather than paying for hardware or software licenses upfront. This model offers flexibility and cost savings since users are not required to invest in their own computing infrastructure and can scale their usage up or down according to their needs. Fixed cost models, while they can exist in some cloud scenarios, typically involve a predetermined fee regardless of the actual usage, which is not the essence of the consumption-based model. Sliding scale and free trial are not billing models associated with regular cloud service consumption.

An Azure Storage account is not a prerequisite for deploying a virtual machine because VM disks can be managed by Azure without the need to manually create a storage account first. Azure manages the storage of the virtual machine's VHD automatically with Azure managed disks. The confusion may arise from early Azure models where manual storage account management was needed for unmanaged disks. Managed disks simplify disk management for Azure virtual machines by managing the storage accounts in the background.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is the correct choice because it provides an additional layer of security by requiring two or more verification methods—a password, a phone call, a text message, or a verification app. MFA does not significantly impact user experience after initial setup and offers a substantial increase in account security. Single sign-on (SSO) simplifies user access by reducing password fatigue, but it does not in itself provide an additional verification layer. Passwordless authentication eliminates the need for a password but it is focused on user convenience rather than adding an additional verification step.

While the choice of operating system, the size of the VM, and the region where it is deployed can significantly influence the cost due to licensing fees, hardware resources needed, and data transfer costs, respectively, the color theme of the Azure portal is simply a user interface customization option and has no impact on pricing. It's important to distinguish between aspects of the service that have a pricing implication and those that are merely aesthetic or user experience choices.

The built-in Virtual Machine Contributor role provides the ability to manage virtual machines in Azure, not their networking components or storage accounts, nor does it allow the user to create or delete virtual machines. This alignment with the requirement makes it the best choice. The Virtual Machine User Login role only allows a user to log into a virtual machine. The Owner role provides full access, including creating and deleting virtual machines, which exceeds the required permissions. The Reader role grants read-only access and would not permit the user to start or restart virtual machines.