- A
Use AWS Backup to schedule hourly EBS snapshots and restore to a new volume when needed.
AWS Backup provides a centralized way to define backup policies (including hourly schedules) and automates retention. Restoring from a snapshot is straightforward and can be done within the RTO.
- B
Use Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager (DLM) to take hourly snapshots and create an AWS CloudFormation template to launch a new instance from the snapshot.
Why wrong: DLM can schedule snapshots, but it requires additional steps to automate recovery (e.g., CloudFormation) and lacks centralized backup management features like cross-region copy and monitoring that AWS Backup offers, resulting in higher operational overhead.
- C
Use custom scripts to copy snapshots to an Amazon S3 bucket and restore from there.
Why wrong: This approach requires developing, testing, and maintaining custom scripts, which increases operational overhead and risk of errors.
- D
Use Amazon S3 Lifecycle policies to transition data to Amazon S3 Glacier.
Why wrong: S3 Lifecycle policies manage object storage classes, not EBS snapshots. This does not provide point-in-time recovery for EBS volumes.
SOA-C02 Reliability and Business Continuity Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of reliability and business continuity. 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. A key principle to apply: aWS Backup provides centralized backup management for EBS volumes.. 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 runs a critical application on Amazon EC2 instances with data stored on Amazon EBS volumes. The SysOps administrator needs to implement a backup strategy that supports point-in-time recovery with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 1 hour and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 4 hours. Which solution meets these requirements with the least operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use AWS Backup to schedule hourly EBS snapshots and restore to a new volume when needed.
AWS Backup provides a fully managed, policy-based backup service that can schedule EBS snapshots hourly, meeting the 1-hour RPO. Restoring from an AWS Backup snapshot to a new EBS volume and attaching it to an EC2 instance can be completed within the 4-hour RTO, with minimal operational overhead as it eliminates the need for custom scripts or lifecycle management.
Key principle: AWS Backup provides centralized backup management for EBS volumes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use AWS Backup to schedule hourly EBS snapshots and restore to a new volume when needed.
Why this is correct
AWS Backup provides a centralized way to define backup policies (including hourly schedules) and automates retention. Restoring from a snapshot is straightforward and can be done within the RTO.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
AWS Backup provides centralized backup management for EBS volumes.
- ✗
Use Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager (DLM) to take hourly snapshots and create an AWS CloudFormation template to launch a new instance from the snapshot.
Why it's wrong here
DLM can schedule snapshots, but it requires additional steps to automate recovery (e.g., CloudFormation) and lacks centralized backup management features like cross-region copy and monitoring that AWS Backup offers, resulting in higher operational overhead.
- ✗
Use custom scripts to copy snapshots to an Amazon S3 bucket and restore from there.
Why it's wrong here
This approach requires developing, testing, and maintaining custom scripts, which increases operational overhead and risk of errors.
- ✗
Use Amazon S3 Lifecycle policies to transition data to Amazon S3 Glacier.
Why it's wrong here
S3 Lifecycle policies manage object storage classes, not EBS snapshots. This does not provide point-in-time recovery for EBS volumes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose DLM (Option B) because it can schedule snapshots, but they overlook the operational overhead of manually creating a CloudFormation template for recovery, whereas AWS Backup provides a fully managed restore workflow that meets the least operational overhead requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Backup uses a centralized backup plan that can automate EBS snapshots with configurable retention and cross-region copy, ensuring compliance with RPO/RTO. Under the hood, EBS snapshots are incremental and stored in Amazon S3, but AWS Backup abstracts the orchestration, including creating the snapshot, tagging, and lifecycle management. In a real-world scenario, if the application requires consistent crash-consistent backups, AWS Backup can also integrate with AWS Systems Manager to run pre/post scripts for application-consistent snapshots.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- AWS Backup provides centralized backup management for EBS volumes.
- AWS Backup supports policy-driven hourly snapshot schedules for RPO.
- Restoring an EBS volume from an AWS Backup snapshot is a straightforward process.
- AWS Backup reduces operational overhead compared to custom solutions or DLM for comprehensive backup.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
Key takeaway
AWS Backup provides centralized backup management for EBS volumes.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review aWS Backup provides centralized backup management for EBS volumes., then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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Reliability and Business Continuity — study guide chapter
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Reliability and Business Continuity practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Reliability and Business Continuity — This question tests Reliability and Business Continuity — AWS Backup provides centralized backup management for EBS volumes..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS Backup to schedule hourly EBS snapshots and restore to a new volume when needed. — AWS Backup provides a fully managed, policy-based backup service that can schedule EBS snapshots hourly, meeting the 1-hour RPO. Restoring from an AWS Backup snapshot to a new EBS volume and attaching it to an EC2 instance can be completed within the 4-hour RTO, with minimal operational overhead as it eliminates the need for custom scripts or lifecycle management.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Review aWS Backup provides centralized backup management for EBS volumes., then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
AWS Backup provides centralized backup management for EBS volumes.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SOA-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 SOA-C02 exam.
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