Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals Exam (AZ-
900) Questions With Quality Solutions
What are some computing services offered by a Cloud Provider? - Correct Answer •*Compute power* -
e.g. Servers or web applications
•*Storage* - e.g. Files and Databases
•*Networking* - e.g. secure connections between the cloud provider and on-premises.
•*Analytics* - e.g. visual telemetry and performance data
Jim the systems admin at a fictitious company is an absolute control freak! From the list below, choose
the most appropriate cloud solution for him:
a). Virtual Machines
b). Containers
c). Serverless compute - Correct Answer ANSWER: a). *Virtual Machines.* Because he will emulate a
physical system, Jim can do whatever he likes (e.g. install software, configure updates etc.)
Give the simplest definition of a container. - Correct Answer A container is similar to a VM but it doesn't
need a guest operating system.
What is Serverless Computing? - Correct Answer Serverless computing lets you run application
code(e.g. functions) without creating, configuring, or maintaining a server. When compared to VMs and
Containers, it is the lightest and fastest deployment method.
Rob is new to cloud computing and is confused by the terms: "Vertical Scaling" and "Horizontal" scaling.
Give him a brief rundown on the differences between the two! - Correct Answer *Vertical scaling*: aka
"scaling up", is the process of adding resources to increase the power of an existing server. Some
examples of vertical scaling are: *adding more CPUs, or adding more memory*.
*Horizontal scaling*: aka "scaling out", is the process of adding more servers that function together as
one unit. For example, *you have more than one server processing incoming requests*
,Define: Scalability as it relates to cloud computing - Correct Answer You can increase or decrease the
resources and services used based upon the needs of your organization.
Define: Elasticity as it relates to cloud computing - Correct Answer As your workload changes due to a
spike or drop in demand, a cloud computing system can compensate by automatically adding or
removing resources. (e.g. a web-site during Black Friday Sale)
Define: redundancy as it relates to cloud computing - Correct Answer If one component fails, another is
available to take its place and its workload.
Define: fault-tolerance as it relates to cloud computing - Correct Answer Customers and end-users are
not impacted when a disaster occurs.
Misha the cloud computing class nerd wants to engage you in a discussion on Economies of Scale. Start
the conversation off with an adequate definition and an example. - Correct Answer Economies of scale
is *the ability to do things more efficiently or at a lower-cost per unit when operating at a larger scale.*
In other words, more money is saved, when production rates are higher. Users also pay less for power
consumption, cooling and network connectivity than they would with on-premises infrastructure.
Compare / Contrast CapEx(Capital Expenditure) vs. OpEx(Operational Expenditure) - Correct Answer
•*Capital Expenditure*: the spending of money on physical infrastructure up front, and then deducting
that expense from your tax bill over time. CapEx is an upfront cost, which has a value that reduces over
time.
•*Operational Expenditure*: spending money on services or products now and being billed for them
now. You can deduct this expense from your tax bill in the same year. There's no upfront cost. You pay for
a service or product as you use it.
What is the primary benefit of CapEx? - Correct Answer Fixed Costs and a predictable expense for your
budget! Companies on a tight budget will lean here.
What is the primary benefit of OpEx? - Correct Answer Grows if demand is increased and shrinks
accordingly. For new companies / startups this will make lots of sense.
What is Cloud agility? - Correct Answer Cloud agility is the ability to rapidly change an IT infrastructure
to adapt to the evolving needs of the business. For e.g. if your service peaks one month, you can scale to
, demand and pay a larger bill for the month. If the following month the demand drops, you can reduce
the used resources and be charged less. This agility lets you manage your costs dynamically, optimizing
spending as requirements change.
Describe the Public Cloud - Correct Answer Microsoft Azure is a public cloud provider. There is no local
hardware to manage or keep up-to-date - everything runs on your cloud provider's hardware. In some
cases, you can save additional costs by sharing computing resources with other cloud users.
Give one example of where you would use a public cloud solution - Correct Answer Deploy a website or
blog. The web-server is handled by the cloud provider. You only worry about managing the site itself.
Give three disadvantages to using a public cloud model. - Correct Answer •Security Requirements
•Government Policies
•Business requirements for a legacy software / application.
Describe the Private Cloud - Correct Answer In a private cloud, you create a cloud environment in your
own datacenter and provide self-service access to compute resources to users in your organization (You
take the place of Microsoft Azure).
Give one example of where you would use a private cloud solution - Correct Answer An organization
has data that cannot be put in the public cloud, perhaps for legal reasons. An e.g. may be where
government policy requires specific data to be kept in-country or privately.
Give three disadvantages to using a private cloud model. - Correct Answer •Initial CapEx costs and must
purchase the hardware for startup and maintenance
•Owning the equipment limits agility - to scale you must buy, install, and setup new hardware
•Private clouds require IT skills and expertise.
Describe the Hybrid Cloud - Correct Answer Combine public and private cloud(on premises data-
center). Simple as that.
900) Questions With Quality Solutions
What are some computing services offered by a Cloud Provider? - Correct Answer •*Compute power* -
e.g. Servers or web applications
•*Storage* - e.g. Files and Databases
•*Networking* - e.g. secure connections between the cloud provider and on-premises.
•*Analytics* - e.g. visual telemetry and performance data
Jim the systems admin at a fictitious company is an absolute control freak! From the list below, choose
the most appropriate cloud solution for him:
a). Virtual Machines
b). Containers
c). Serverless compute - Correct Answer ANSWER: a). *Virtual Machines.* Because he will emulate a
physical system, Jim can do whatever he likes (e.g. install software, configure updates etc.)
Give the simplest definition of a container. - Correct Answer A container is similar to a VM but it doesn't
need a guest operating system.
What is Serverless Computing? - Correct Answer Serverless computing lets you run application
code(e.g. functions) without creating, configuring, or maintaining a server. When compared to VMs and
Containers, it is the lightest and fastest deployment method.
Rob is new to cloud computing and is confused by the terms: "Vertical Scaling" and "Horizontal" scaling.
Give him a brief rundown on the differences between the two! - Correct Answer *Vertical scaling*: aka
"scaling up", is the process of adding resources to increase the power of an existing server. Some
examples of vertical scaling are: *adding more CPUs, or adding more memory*.
*Horizontal scaling*: aka "scaling out", is the process of adding more servers that function together as
one unit. For example, *you have more than one server processing incoming requests*
,Define: Scalability as it relates to cloud computing - Correct Answer You can increase or decrease the
resources and services used based upon the needs of your organization.
Define: Elasticity as it relates to cloud computing - Correct Answer As your workload changes due to a
spike or drop in demand, a cloud computing system can compensate by automatically adding or
removing resources. (e.g. a web-site during Black Friday Sale)
Define: redundancy as it relates to cloud computing - Correct Answer If one component fails, another is
available to take its place and its workload.
Define: fault-tolerance as it relates to cloud computing - Correct Answer Customers and end-users are
not impacted when a disaster occurs.
Misha the cloud computing class nerd wants to engage you in a discussion on Economies of Scale. Start
the conversation off with an adequate definition and an example. - Correct Answer Economies of scale
is *the ability to do things more efficiently or at a lower-cost per unit when operating at a larger scale.*
In other words, more money is saved, when production rates are higher. Users also pay less for power
consumption, cooling and network connectivity than they would with on-premises infrastructure.
Compare / Contrast CapEx(Capital Expenditure) vs. OpEx(Operational Expenditure) - Correct Answer
•*Capital Expenditure*: the spending of money on physical infrastructure up front, and then deducting
that expense from your tax bill over time. CapEx is an upfront cost, which has a value that reduces over
time.
•*Operational Expenditure*: spending money on services or products now and being billed for them
now. You can deduct this expense from your tax bill in the same year. There's no upfront cost. You pay for
a service or product as you use it.
What is the primary benefit of CapEx? - Correct Answer Fixed Costs and a predictable expense for your
budget! Companies on a tight budget will lean here.
What is the primary benefit of OpEx? - Correct Answer Grows if demand is increased and shrinks
accordingly. For new companies / startups this will make lots of sense.
What is Cloud agility? - Correct Answer Cloud agility is the ability to rapidly change an IT infrastructure
to adapt to the evolving needs of the business. For e.g. if your service peaks one month, you can scale to
, demand and pay a larger bill for the month. If the following month the demand drops, you can reduce
the used resources and be charged less. This agility lets you manage your costs dynamically, optimizing
spending as requirements change.
Describe the Public Cloud - Correct Answer Microsoft Azure is a public cloud provider. There is no local
hardware to manage or keep up-to-date - everything runs on your cloud provider's hardware. In some
cases, you can save additional costs by sharing computing resources with other cloud users.
Give one example of where you would use a public cloud solution - Correct Answer Deploy a website or
blog. The web-server is handled by the cloud provider. You only worry about managing the site itself.
Give three disadvantages to using a public cloud model. - Correct Answer •Security Requirements
•Government Policies
•Business requirements for a legacy software / application.
Describe the Private Cloud - Correct Answer In a private cloud, you create a cloud environment in your
own datacenter and provide self-service access to compute resources to users in your organization (You
take the place of Microsoft Azure).
Give one example of where you would use a private cloud solution - Correct Answer An organization
has data that cannot be put in the public cloud, perhaps for legal reasons. An e.g. may be where
government policy requires specific data to be kept in-country or privately.
Give three disadvantages to using a private cloud model. - Correct Answer •Initial CapEx costs and must
purchase the hardware for startup and maintenance
•Owning the equipment limits agility - to scale you must buy, install, and setup new hardware
•Private clouds require IT skills and expertise.
Describe the Hybrid Cloud - Correct Answer Combine public and private cloud(on premises data-
center). Simple as that.
