- A
Use load balancing across multiple application servers.
Load balancing spreads traffic across more than one server, so the portal can keep working if one node becomes unavailable. It is one of the most common availability designs for web applications.
- B
Add a redundant standby server or failover target.
A standby or failover server provides an alternate system if the primary server stops responding. This redundancy helps maintain service continuity and reduces downtime.
- C
Store the application logs on a larger disk.
Why wrong: A larger log disk may help with storage capacity, but it does not keep the portal online if an application server fails. It is not an availability control.
- D
Increase the password length requirement for portal users.
Why wrong: Stronger passwords are useful for authentication, but they do not provide redundancy or failover. They do not help the service survive a server outage.
- E
Place all traffic on a single high-performance server.
Why wrong: A single server creates a single point of failure. Better performance does not equal fault tolerance, so this choice does not improve availability.
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 customer portal must stay online if one application server fails. Which two design choices improve availability? 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
Use load balancing across multiple application servers.
Option A is correct because load balancing distributes incoming traffic across multiple application servers. If one server fails, the load balancer automatically redirects traffic to the remaining healthy servers, ensuring the portal remains online. This design eliminates a single point of failure and provides fault tolerance through redundancy.
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.
- ✓
Use load balancing across multiple application servers.
Why this is correct
Load balancing spreads traffic across more than one server, so the portal can keep working if one node becomes unavailable. It is one of the most common availability designs for web applications.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Add a redundant standby server or failover target.
Why this is correct
A standby or failover server provides an alternate system if the primary server stops responding. This redundancy helps maintain service continuity and reduces downtime.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Store the application logs on a larger disk.
Why it's wrong here
A larger log disk may help with storage capacity, but it does not keep the portal online if an application server fails. It is not an availability control.
- ✗
Increase the password length requirement for portal users.
Why it's wrong here
Stronger passwords are useful for authentication, but they do not provide redundancy or failover. They do not help the service survive a server outage.
- ✗
Place all traffic on a single high-performance server.
Why it's wrong here
A single server creates a single point of failure. Better performance does not equal fault tolerance, so this choice does not improve availability.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse improving storage capacity (a scalability or performance concern) with improving availability, which requires redundancy and failover mechanisms, not just more resources.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Load balancing typically uses health checks (e.g., HTTP GET requests to a /health endpoint) to monitor server status. When a server fails to respond within a timeout (often 5–10 seconds), the load balancer marks it as down and stops sending traffic to it. A redundant standby server (active-passive failover) uses mechanisms like virtual IP (VIP) takeover via protocols such as VRRP or CARP, or database-level replication (e.g., synchronous commit) to ensure zero data loss during failover. In real-world scenarios, combining both approaches (active-active load balancing with passive failover) provides the highest availability.
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 analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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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: Use load balancing across multiple application servers. — Option A is correct because load balancing distributes incoming traffic across multiple application servers. If one server fails, the load balancer automatically redirects traffic to the remaining healthy servers, ensuring the portal remains online. This design eliminates a single point of failure and provides fault tolerance through redundancy.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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