Question 1mediummulti select
Full question →mediummulti selectObjective-mapped
A fintech company needs a disaster recovery design for a web application in two Regions. The business requires an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO under 2 hours, but it cannot afford to keep a full production stack running in both Regions all the time. Which two DR strategies best fit the requirement? Select two.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Pilot light with critical data and minimal services pre-staged in the secondary Region.
Correct because pilot light keeps a small but ready foundation in the recovery Region, which lowers cost while still allowing much faster recovery than restoring everything from scratch. It is a common fit when the business can accept a short recovery window and controlled failover steps.
B
Best answer
Warm standby with a scaled-down but running environment in the secondary Region.
Correct because warm standby provides faster recovery than pilot light by keeping the secondary environment running at reduced scale. It can meet a moderate RTO while still costing less than fully active production in both Regions.
C
Distractor review
Active-active deployment with full production capacity in both Regions.
Incorrect because active-active can meet very aggressive recovery goals, but it is usually the most expensive option. The scenario explicitly says the company cannot afford to run full production in both Regions all the time.
D
Distractor review
Backup-and-restore only, with no pre-provisioned resources in the secondary Region.
Incorrect because restore-from-backup approaches are typically slower to recover and often struggle to meet a two-hour RTO, depending on data size. They are cheaper, but the recovery objective in this scenario is tighter than pure backup-and-restore usually supports.
E
Distractor review
Single-Region deployment with Multi-AZ only, because that already covers disaster recovery.
Incorrect because Multi-AZ protects against Availability Zone failure inside one Region, not a regional disaster. The requirement explicitly calls for two Regions, so a single-Region design does not satisfy it.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Pilot light with critical data and minimal services pre-staged in the secondary Region. — Pilot light and warm standby are the best fits when the business needs real disaster recovery across Regions but does not want to pay for two fully active environments. Pilot light keeps the minimum core running so recovery can be accelerated, while warm standby keeps a scaled-down environment continuously available for faster cutover. Both are stronger than restore-only approaches and much cheaper than active-active. Active-active offers excellent resilience, but it is the most expensive and conflicts with the budget constraint. Backup-and-restore can be inexpensive, yet it is usually too slow for the stated RTO. Single-Region Multi-AZ improves availability within one Region, but it does not protect against a regional failure and therefore is not a true two-Region DR design.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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