SY0-701 Security Architecture Practice Question
A regulated analytics workload must run in a public cloud with the strongest practical tenant isolation while avoiding management of physical servers. The workload should also remain off the public internet. Which two deployment choices best fit? Select two.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse network isolation (private subnet) with tenant isolation (physical hardware separation), or they assume that a public load balancer can be used without exposing the workload to the internet, forgetting that the load balancer itself has a public endpoint.
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
✓
Run the workload on a dedicated host or dedicated instance.
A dedicated host or dedicated instance provides the strongest practical tenant isolation in a public cloud by ensuring that the underlying physical server is not shared with any other customer. This meets the regulatory requirement for strong isolation while avoiding the need to manage physical servers, as the cloud provider still handles hardware maintenance. The dedicated instance model (e.g., AWS Dedicated Instances) offers hardware-level isolation at the instance level, while a dedicated host gives you visibility and control over the physical server, both without requiring you to manage the server itself.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Run the workload on a dedicated host or dedicated instance.
Why this is correct
Dedicated compute placement provides stronger tenant isolation than shared hardware and is appropriate when a regulated workload needs a higher separation level. It also keeps the organization in a cloud model without requiring ownership of physical servers.
- ✓
Place the workload in a private subnet without a public IP address.
Why this is correct
A private subnet keeps the workload off the internet by default and limits exposure to internal routing and controlled access paths. This is the preferred placement when the service does not need direct public reachability.
- ✗
Use shared tenancy with security groups only.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups help control network access, but shared tenancy does not provide the strongest practical tenant isolation. For a regulated workload, the architecture should reduce exposure both at the network layer and the compute layer.
- ✗
Assign an elastic IP so administrators can reach the workload directly from anywhere.
Why it's wrong here
Assigning an elastic IP makes the workload directly reachable from the public internet, which nullifies the private placement achieved by using a private subnet. This expands the attack surface and exposes administrative interfaces to unsolicited traffic, potentially violating compliance requirements that mandate minimal exposure. Administrative access should instead be established through a managed bastion host or a private VPN connection, which provides controlled, auditable, and non-internet-reachable pathways.
- ✗
Expose the workload through a public load balancer to simplify connectivity.
Why it's wrong here
Exposing the workload through a public load balancer intentionally places the service on the public internet, contradicting the requirement to keep the workload off the public internet. Even if the load balancer itself is managed, it routes traffic to backend instances, making them indirectly internet-reachable and increasing the attack surface. For regulated workloads, the correct approach is to use an internal (private) load balancer or a private connectivity option such as AWS PrivateLink, which preserves security and compliance without relying on public endpoints.
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on SY0-701
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A regulated analytics workload is moving to a public cloud. The business wants the strongest practical tenant isolation without managing physical servers, and it also needs an audit trail for changes made to the cloud environment. Which two design choices best meet those requirements? Select two.
medium- ✓ A.Place the workload in a dedicated account, project, or subscription with restricted cross-account access.
- ✓ B.Enable cloud control-plane logging and retain the logs centrally.
- C.Deploy the workload in a shared public subnet to simplify routing between tenants.
- D.Assume the cloud provider will record every guest operating system event automatically.
- E.Disable logging to reduce storage costs because the provider already has all necessary records.
Why A: Placing the workload in a dedicated account, project, or subscription with restricted cross-account access provides strong logical isolation at the cloud provider's control plane. This approach meets the requirement for tenant isolation without managing physical servers, as it leverages the provider's built-in resource boundaries and IAM policies to prevent unauthorized access between tenants.
Variation 2. A regulated analytics workload must run in the cloud with the strongest isolation from other customers, but the company does not want to manage its own physical server room. Which placement is most appropriate?
medium- A.A public subnet with an internet gateway so the workload can be reached directly.
- B.A shared-tenancy virtual machine in the provider's default compute pool.
- ✓ C.A dedicated host or equivalent single-tenant compute placement in the provider's environment.
- D.A serverless function because it removes all underlying infrastructure concerns.
Why C: A dedicated host or single-tenant compute placement ensures that the physical server is not shared with any other customer, providing the strongest isolation required for regulated workloads. This model meets the compliance need for physical separation while still being a cloud service, so the company avoids managing its own server room.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.