Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies (AZ-300) Practice Exam

If you want to improve your service-level agreement (SLA), which principle should you follow?

1. Increase maximum acceptable data loss

2. Encrypt all data at rest

3. Reduce single points of failure

4. Utilize a single backup location

The correct answer is: Reduce single points of failure

Reducing single points of failure is crucial for improving a service-level agreement (SLA) because it enhances the availability and reliability of a system. A single point of failure refers to a component in a system that, if it fails, will cause the entire system or service to stop functioning. By identifying and mitigating these points, such as by using redundant systems, failover strategies, or load balancing, you create a more resilient architecture. When single points of failure are eliminated, the overall system can withstand individual component failures without impacting the availability of services. This not only helps maintain a higher uptime percentage, but also builds trust with customers and stakeholders as the SLA commitments regarding service availability can be more confidently assured. While the other options relate to various aspects of data management and security, they do not directly address the core issue of availability, which is central to improving SLAs. For instance, increasing maximum acceptable data loss may be counterintuitive to enhancing SLA as it could lead to worse outcomes in terms of data integrity and customer trust. Encrypting data at rest improves security, but doesn't necessarily improve availability metrics associated with SLAs. Utilizing a single backup location could introduce risks if that location becomes unavailable, thus further emphasizing the importance of redundancy in system design.