A company wants to protect a critical application from a full Region outage. The secondary Region should keep only a small amount of infrastructure running most of the time to control cost. Which disaster recovery strategy fits best?
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.
Best answer
Pilot light
Pilot light keeps a minimal version of the environment running in the backup Region, which helps reduce cost while still supporting recovery.
Distractor review
Active-active
Active-active keeps both Regions serving traffic, which is usually more expensive than the requirement described.
Distractor review
Single-AZ deployment
A single-AZ deployment does not protect against a complete Regional outage and is less resilient overall.
Distractor review
Blue/green deployment
Blue/green is mainly a deployment technique, not a full multi-Region disaster recovery strategy.
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 — Pilot light is the best fit when a company wants regional disaster recovery but wants to keep only a small amount of infrastructure running in the secondary Region. The core data and minimal services are maintained there, and the rest can be scaled up during a failover event. This offers a practical balance between resilience and cost. It is more affordable than active-active while still being much stronger than having no second Region. Why others are wrong: Active-active provides stronger resilience, but it keeps two full environments running and usually costs more. Single-AZ designs do not address Region-wide failure. Blue/green helps with deployments and rollback, but it is not the same as a multi-Region DR strategy for surviving a regional outage.
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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