Quick Answer
The answer is a multi-Region active-active deployment with synchronous replication, as this is the only strategy that can meet both a 15-minute RTO and a 1-minute RPO. This works because active-active architectures run the application concurrently in two or more AWS Regions, and synchronous replication ensures every write is committed to both Regions before acknowledging the client, effectively eliminating data loss. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between disaster recovery strategies by their recovery metrics; the common trap is confusing warm standby or pilot light with active-active, but those options introduce asynchronous replication or idle resources that push RTO beyond 15 minutes. Remember the memory tip: “Sync for zero loss, active for instant failover”—if you see RPO of 1 minute, you must have synchronous replication, and for RTO under 15 minutes, the workload must already be running in the secondary Region.
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is migrating a critical application to AWS and needs to ensure business continuity. The application must be able to fail over to a different AWS Region with a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 15 minutes and a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 1 minute. Which strategy should the company use?
Warm standby in another Region
Why wrong: RTO may exceed 15 minutes.
Multi-Region active-active deployment with synchronous replication
Provides low RTO and RPO.
Pilot light in another Region
Why wrong: RTO can be longer than 15 minutes.
Backup and restore to another Region
Why wrong: RTO and RPO are typically longer.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Multi-Region active-active deployment with synchronous replication
Option B is correct because an active-active multi-Region architecture with data replication can achieve RPO of 1 minute and RTO of 15 minutes. Option A (backup restore) has higher RTO/RPO. Option C (pilot light) has longer RTO. Option D (warm standby) may have longer RTO.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Warm standby in another Region
Why it's wrong here
RTO may exceed 15 minutes.
Multi-Region active-active deployment with synchronous replication
Why this is correct
Provides low RTO and RPO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Pilot light in another Region
Why it's wrong here
RTO can be longer than 15 minutes.
Backup and restore to another Region
Why it's wrong here
RTO and RPO are typically longer.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Multi-Region active-active deployment with synchronous replication — Option B is correct because an active-active multi-Region architecture with data replication can achieve RPO of 1 minute and RTO of 15 minutes. Option A (backup restore) has higher RTO/RPO. Option C (pilot light) has longer RTO. Option D (warm standby) may have longer RTO.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.
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