220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician is tasked with implementing a change to update the antivirus software on all company workstations. The change has been approved by the CAB. The technician plans to deploy the update via a centralized management console. During the deployment, the technician notices that some older workstations are failing to install the update. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume the immediate priority is to fix the failing workstations manually (Option D) or to continue and fix later (Option A), but the CompTIA 220-1102 exam emphasizes following the change management process, which requires stopping and consulting the backout plan first.
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
✓
C) Stop the deployment and consult the change management plan for a backout strategy.
The technician must first stop the deployment to prevent further failures and then consult the change management plan for the documented backout strategy. This aligns with the change management process, which requires a rollback plan to be approved before implementation. Continuing or manually fixing without consulting the plan risks violating the approved change procedure and could cause additional issues.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A) Continue deploying to remaining workstations and address failures later.
Why it's wrong here
Continuing deployment to remaining workstations while failures are already occurring is unsafe because the root cause is unknown and may be systemic, affecting many other systems beyond the currently failing ones. This approach violates change management principles by not halting an activity that has shown unexpected adverse effects, and it increases the scope of potential remediation if a widespread incompatibility exists. Addressing failures later means a larger, more urgent cleanup and a higher risk of unmanaged incidents.
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B) Roll back the change on all workstations immediately.
Why it's wrong here
Rolling back the change on all workstations immediately is an overreaction because the failures may be isolated to a specific subset, such as older hardware or particular OS versions, and a blanket rollback causes unnecessary downtime and resource waste. This action should only follow a proper assessment of the failure scope and consultation of the change management plan, which likely defines a targeted backout that preserves productivity. Performing a full rollback without analysis may also introduce configuration drift and additional complications.
- ✓
C) Stop the deployment and consult the change management plan for a backout strategy.
Why this is correct
Stopping the deployment is the immediate and proper response to any unexpected failure, and then consulting the change management plan ensures that you follow the approved, documented procedures for reverting or fixing the change. The plan, which was created and reviewed during the change advisory board process, provides a clear backout strategy that may involve rolling back only affected workstations, applying a patch, or adjusting the deployment order. This controlled approach prevents further impact, maintains auditability, and aligns with best practices for incident management during changes.
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D) Manually install the update on the failing workstations using a USB drive.
Why it's wrong here
Manually installing the update via USB on failing workstations bypasses the sanctioned deployment mechanism, such as an enterprise patch management server, and ignores change management approval and documentation requirements. This method introduces security risks because USB media can carry malware or unverified code, and it may not resolve the underlying incompatibility that caused the failure. It also creates configuration drift and leaves the organization without a reliable audit trail for the change, making it an unacceptable workaround.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows Disk Management
Key term
Change management
Change management is the structured process of planning, approving, implementing, and reviewing changes to IT systems to minimize risk and disruption.
Key term
Antivirus
Antivirus is software that detects, prevents, and removes malicious software (malware) from a computer or network.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 220-1102 exam.