- A
Create a separate local username and password in every cloud application.
Why wrong: This increases administrative work and makes offboarding slower and more error-prone.
- B
Use federation with single sign-on from a central identity provider.
Federation with SSO is the best option because employees authenticate once with the corporate identity provider and then access multiple applications through trusted token exchange. This reduces password sprawl, improves user convenience, and makes offboarding faster because disabling the central account removes access across connected services. It also supports stronger controls such as MFA at the identity provider rather than repeating them in every application.
- C
Store the same shared password in a password manager for all applications.
Why wrong: Shared credentials are difficult to audit and create major risk if one password is exposed.
- D
Allow each application to authenticate users only by device MAC address.
Why wrong: MAC addresses are easy to spoof and do not provide reliable user authentication.
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.
Employees must sign in to several cloud applications with their corporate account, and terminated users should lose access without separate password resets in each app. What is the best solution?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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 federation with single sign-on from a central identity provider.
Federation with single sign-on (SSO) from a central identity provider (IdP) allows users to authenticate once using their corporate account, and the IdP issues security tokens (e.g., SAML assertions or OIDC tokens) that each cloud application trusts. When a user is terminated, the administrator disables the account in the IdP, and all applications immediately reject the user's tokens, eliminating the need for separate password resets in each app.
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.
- ✗
Create a separate local username and password in every cloud application.
Why it's wrong here
This increases administrative work and makes offboarding slower and more error-prone.
- ✓
Use federation with single sign-on from a central identity provider.
Why this is correct
Federation with SSO is the best option because employees authenticate once with the corporate identity provider and then access multiple applications through trusted token exchange. This reduces password sprawl, improves user convenience, and makes offboarding faster because disabling the central account removes access across connected services. It also supports stronger controls such as MFA at the identity provider rather than repeating them in every application.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Store the same shared password in a password manager for all applications.
Why it's wrong here
Shared credentials are difficult to audit and create major risk if one password is exposed.
- ✗
Allow each application to authenticate users only by device MAC address.
Why it's wrong here
MAC addresses are easy to spoof and do not provide reliable user authentication.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse password managers (which store credentials but do not provide centralized revocation) with federation, or they mistakenly think MAC address authentication is viable for cloud applications, when in fact MAC addresses are link-layer identifiers not usable over the internet.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Federation relies on standards like SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect (OIDC) where the IdP issues digitally signed tokens containing user attributes and session validity. The cloud applications (service providers) validate the token's signature against the IdP's public key, and token expiry or revocation (via short-lived tokens or session invalidation) ensures terminated users lose access without manual intervention. In real-world deployments, SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) is often used alongside federation to automatically provision and deprovision user accounts in cloud apps.
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.
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: Use federation with single sign-on from a central identity provider. — Federation with single sign-on (SSO) from a central identity provider (IdP) allows users to authenticate once using their corporate account, and the IdP issues security tokens (e.g., SAML assertions or OIDC tokens) that each cloud application trusts. When a user is terminated, the administrator disables the account in the IdP, and all applications immediately reject the user's tokens, eliminating the need for separate password resets in each app.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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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