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200-201 Practice Question: Which THREE of the following are best practices…
Which THREE of the following are best practices for implementing security logging and monitoring? (Select 3)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that logging should be minimized to reduce noise or storage costs, but the correct approach is to log continuously and use baselines and centralized aggregation to manage volume and relevance.
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
✓
Define alert thresholds based on baselines
Defining alert thresholds based on baselines is a best practice because it allows the security monitoring system to distinguish between normal and anomalous behavior. By establishing a baseline of typical network traffic, CPU usage, or login patterns, you can set thresholds that trigger alerts only when deviations occur, reducing false positives and ensuring that genuine security incidents are not missed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Define alert thresholds based on baselines
Why this is correct
Baselines reduce false positives.
- ✓
Synchronize device clocks using NTP
Why this is correct
Accurate timestamps are critical for correlation.
- ✗
Minimize log retention to reduce storage costs
Why it's wrong here
Retention must meet compliance and forensic needs.
- ✓
Centralize logs to a dedicated log server
Why this is correct
Centralization improves correlation and security.
- ✗
Log only during incident response to reduce noise
Why it's wrong here
Continuous logging is necessary for detection.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco 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 200-201 exam.