Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Study Guide

Chapter 4. The Shared Responsibility Model

In the previous chapter, you learned about the three primary cloud service types (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS). In this chapter, you’ll build on that knowledge by exploring the shared responsibility model and how responsibilities differ across each cloud service type.

If you’re already familiar with this topic, you can skip to the next chapter or to Part II.

Tip

Understanding the shared responsibility model is important when navigating Azure’s ecosystem. The shared responsibility model delineates the responsibilities between Microsoft and its customer.

Shared Responsibility: From On Premises to the Cloud

In a traditional on-premises infrastructure setting, the customer bears the sole responsibility of managing the physical infrastructure, implementing security measures, and addressing server maintenance or replacement needs. Essentially, the customer is tasked with overseeing all aspects of the hardware and software required to ensure the smooth operation of the infrastructure.

In cloud computing, responsibilities are shared between the cloud service provider (CSP) and the customer. How these responsibilities are divided depends on the cloud service types (which you should be quite familiar with after reading Chapter 3).

Responsibilities Are Closely Tied to Cloud Service Types

Unlike traditional on-premises environments, where the organization is responsible for every layer of the technology stack, cloud computing uses a shared responsibility ...