- A
Set up MFA, conditional access, and user-role assignments for tenant accounts.
Identity governance, MFA, and tenant permissions remain customer responsibilities in SaaS environments.
- B
Patch the SaaS application's source code on the provider's servers.
Why wrong: The provider owns the application code and is responsible for patching the service itself.
- C
Decide what customer data is entered into the service and how it is shared.
Data handling, classification, and sharing decisions belong to the customer, even in SaaS.
- D
Replace the provider's hypervisors with company-owned hardware.
Why wrong: The provider manages the underlying platform, including the hardware and virtualization layer.
- E
Maintain the provider's network firewalls and datacenter cooling systems.
Why wrong: Physical and platform infrastructure are provider responsibilities, not tenant responsibilities.
SY0-701 Security Architecture Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security architecture. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 uses a SaaS CRM platform. The provider patches the application and underlying infrastructure. Which two responsibilities remain with the company? Select two.
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
Set up MFA, conditional access, and user-role assignments for tenant accounts.
Option A is correct because in a SaaS model, the customer retains responsibility for securing their tenant accounts, including configuring multi-factor authentication (MFA), conditional access policies, and role-based access control (RBAC) for users. These are identity and access management (IAM) controls that the provider cannot enforce on behalf of the customer, as they depend on the customer's specific user directory and security policies.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Set up MFA, conditional access, and user-role assignments for tenant accounts.
- ✗
Patch the SaaS application's source code on the provider's servers.
Why it's wrong here
The provider owns the application code and is responsible for patching the service itself.
- ✓
Decide what customer data is entered into the service and how it is shared.
Why this is correct
Data handling, classification, and sharing decisions belong to the customer, even in SaaS.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Replace the provider's hypervisors with company-owned hardware.
Why it's wrong here
The provider manages the underlying platform, including the hardware and virtualization layer.
- ✗
Maintain the provider's network firewalls and datacenter cooling systems.
Why it's wrong here
Physical and platform infrastructure are provider responsibilities, not tenant responsibilities.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the SaaS model with IaaS or PaaS, mistakenly thinking the customer is responsible for patching the application or infrastructure, when in fact the customer's duties are limited to account and data governance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In the shared responsibility model for SaaS, the provider handles the security of the cloud (physical hosts, hypervisors, network, and application code), while the customer handles security in the cloud (data classification, user access, and device compliance). Conditional access policies often integrate with Azure AD or similar IdPs to enforce location-based or device-state restrictions, which require customer-side configuration. MFA implementation typically uses protocols like TOTP (RFC 6238) or WebAuthn, and the customer must enroll users and enforce policies via their tenant settings.
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.
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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security team runs a vulnerability scan on a web application and discovers an unpatched SQL injection flaw. The team prioritises remediation by CVSS score — critical flaws are patched within 24 hours, high within 7 days. Questions like this test whether you understand vulnerability management processes, scanning tools, and remediation prioritisation.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Security Architecture — This question tests Security Architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set up MFA, conditional access, and user-role assignments for tenant accounts. — Option A is correct because in a SaaS model, the customer retains responsibility for securing their tenant accounts, including configuring multi-factor authentication (MFA), conditional access policies, and role-based access control (RBAC) for users. These are identity and access management (IAM) controls that the provider cannot enforce on behalf of the customer, as they depend on the customer's specific user directory and security policies.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.
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