- A
Fail-open design
Why wrong: Fail-open describes how a system behaves during failure, not how cloud security responsibilities are divided.
- B
Shared responsibility model
Cloud security duties are divided between the provider and the customer, depending on the service model.
- C
Air gap
Why wrong: An air gap means physical or logical separation from other networks, which is not what the scenario describes.
- D
Data masking
Why wrong: Data masking protects sensitive values, but it does not define who secures cloud infrastructure and configuration.
Question 87 of 1,152
SY0-701 Security Architecture Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security architecture. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 team is moving an application to a cloud provider. The cloud provider will secure the physical data center and core infrastructure, while the company must still secure its own application settings and user access. What concept does this describe?
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
✓
Shared responsibility model
The shared responsibility model defines the division of security obligations between a cloud provider and its customer. In this scenario, the provider secures the physical data center and core infrastructure (the 'security of the cloud'), while the company retains responsibility for application settings and user access (the 'security in the cloud'). This model is foundational to all major cloud providers, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
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.
- ✗
Fail-open design
Why it's wrong here
Fail-open describes how a system behaves during failure, not how cloud security responsibilities are divided.
- ✓
Shared responsibility model
Why this is correct
Cloud security duties are divided between the provider and the customer, depending on the service model.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Air gap
Why it's wrong here
An air gap means physical or logical separation from other networks, which is not what the scenario describes.
- ✗
Data masking
Why it's wrong here
Data masking protects sensitive values, but it does not define who secures cloud infrastructure and configuration.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the shared responsibility model with a simple 'provider does everything' or 'customer does everything' approach, failing to recognize that security obligations are split based on the service model (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and that the customer always retains responsibility for data and access management.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
An air gap means physical or logical separation from other networks, which is not what the scenario describes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the shared responsibility model, the provider typically handles physical security, network infrastructure, and hypervisor security (e.g., AWS's responsibility for EC2 host OS and virtualization layer), while the customer must configure identity and access management (IAM) policies, encrypt data at rest and in transit (e.g., using AWS KMS or Azure Key Vault), and manage application-level patches. A real-world scenario where this matters is a data breach caused by misconfigured S3 buckets: the provider secures the storage infrastructure, but the customer is responsible for setting bucket policies and access controls.
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: Shared responsibility model — The shared responsibility model defines the division of security obligations between a cloud provider and its customer. In this scenario, the provider secures the physical data center and core infrastructure (the 'security of the cloud'), while the company retains responsibility for application settings and user access (the 'security in the cloud'). This model is foundational to all major cloud providers, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
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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