Explore practical Azure architecture with these real-world case study questions covering cloud scalability, security, hybrid environments, cost management, and data solutions. Sharpen your understanding of how to apply best practices in actual cloud computing projects using Azure services.
A company needs to ensure their e-commerce web application can automatically handle fluctuating demand during seasonal sales. Which architectural feature should they implement for this scenario?
Explanation: Autoscaling allows the infrastructure to automatically adjust resources based on demand, ensuring performance during high-traffic periods. Manual server allocation is less efficient and slower to respond to load changes. Static hosting does not support dynamic resource changes required for fluctuating users. Fixed bandwidth allocation does not address compute or scaling needs for variable loads.
A business wants to connect its on-premises data center securely to its cloud-based services for seamless resource access. Which approach best addresses this need?
Explanation: A private network connection provides a secure, dedicated link between on-premises systems and the cloud, ensuring data protection and reliable access. Public Wi-Fi is unsafe and not intended for enterprise connectivity. Unencrypted file transfers risk exposing sensitive information. Domain renaming does not facilitate secure connectivity between environments.
An organization is migrating their legacy applications to the cloud to reduce hardware expenses and improve operational efficiency. Which benefit are they primarily seeking?
Explanation: Migrating to the cloud allows organizations to use scalable resources and pay only for what they need, which generally reduces infrastructure expenses. Increased paper use is unrelated and does not occur with cloud migration. Slower deployment times are typically avoided, as cloud environments often enable faster deployments. Manual data backups can be automated or managed better in the cloud.
A retail company wants to manage employee permissions so only authorized staff can access sensitive customer data. What is the most suitable solution?
Explanation: Role-based access control allows the assignment of permissions based on job functions, keeping sensitive data safe and accessible only by authorized users. Universal password sharing is insecure and increases risk. Anonymous account access provides no security and is not suitable for sensitive information. Disabling passwords eliminates account protection altogether.
A hospital wants to ensure that patient records remain accessible during outages by storing them in two geographically distant data centers. What architectural concept does this demonstrate?
Explanation: Geo-redundancy stores copies of data in distant locations, ensuring availability and recovery in disaster scenarios. Single-point backup is vulnerable if that location fails. Local mirroring protects against disk failures but not regional outages. Temporary data deletion is not a strategy for maintaining availability.
A streaming platform wants to analyze user behavior in real time to recommend content instantly. Which type of cloud-based component should be emphasized in the architecture?
Explanation: A stream processing engine allows real-time analysis of incoming data, supporting immediate recommendations and actions. An asynchronous batch job processes data in bulk, which leads to delays. Physical tape storage is slow and unsuitable for real-time needs. Hourly manual reporting lacks automation and timeliness.
A technology startup wants to track their cloud expenses and set usage alerts as they test multiple services in a development environment. Which tool is most beneficial for this purpose?
Explanation: A cloud cost monitoring dashboard provides real-time insights into resource usage and allows users to set alerts to avoid overspending. Handwritten expense sheets are inefficient and error-prone. Monthly invoice copies offer only post-usage summaries, not proactive management. Server log viewers show technical events, not financial data.
A financial firm needs to securely store sensitive documents in the cloud with protection against unauthorized access. Which security feature should be implemented?
Explanation: Encryption at rest helps protect files by encoding them, making the data unreadable without authorization. Open public sharing removes security and poses significant risks. Plaintext file storage means no protection is applied. No password protection leaves data entirely vulnerable to unauthorized access.
After launching a SaaS solution, a company wants to identify issues such as slow response times and errors quickly. Which feature best supports this requirement?
Explanation: Application monitoring alerts help detect performance problems and errors in real time, enabling prompt resolution. Annual code reviews are infrequent and less responsive. Printed bug lists do not offer live monitoring. Disabling logs removes the ability to track or respond to issues.
A development team wants to deploy their microservices-based application consistently across dev, test, and production environments. What approach best meets this goal?
Explanation: Container orchestration manages and automates the deployment of containerized applications, ensuring consistency across environments. Manual copying of files is error-prone and inconsistent. Legacy FTP transfers lack coordination and security. Non-versioned deployment does not guarantee reliability or consistency in updates.