Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ104) Practice Exam

What can lead to issues if you fail to stop the backup of a virtual machine prior to deletion?

1. You may lose data from the associated storage account.

2. The backup data may still incur storage costs.

3. You can't restore the VM later without the backup.

4. You cannot use the virtual machine's disks on other VMs.

The correct answer is: The backup data may still incur storage costs.

When a virtual machine (VM) is deleted without stopping its backup, one potential consequence is that the backup data may continue to incur storage costs. In Azure, backups of VMs are often stored in a dedicated Recovery Services vault or similar storage location. Even if the VM is deleted, the backup snapshots or files remain in the designated storage, and unless those backups are explicitly deleted, they will continue to consume resources and incur charges. This situation can lead to unexpected costs, particularly if an organization routinely backs up several VMs. Administrators need to manage both VM lifecycles and backup lifecycles carefully to optimize expenses and avoid unnecessary charges for storage that may no longer be needed. Hence, failing to stop or manage backups appropriately before deleting the VM can lead to an ongoing financial impact due to these storage costs. While there are scenarios related to data safety, restoration capabilities, and usage of disks from the VM on other instances, the primary concern regarding the immediate financial implications of continuing storage costs makes the issue of backup costs paramount in this context.