The answer is the shared responsibility model. This is correct because it defines the clear division of security obligations between a cloud provider and its customer, where the provider handles the security of the cloud—physical data centers, hardware, and core infrastructure—while the customer manages security in the cloud, such as application settings, user access, and data configurations. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this concept frequently appears in scenario-based questions testing your ability to distinguish between provider and customer duties, often with a trap where students assume the provider secures everything. A common memory tip is to think of a rented apartment: the landlord secures the building and locks (security of the cloud), but you must lock your own door and manage your guests (security in the cloud).
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SY0-701 question in full detail.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 team deploys an e-commerce application on an IaaS virtual machine. The cloud provider secures the datacenter, hardware, and hypervisor. The company wants to reduce the chance that attackers exploit outdated software on the VM itself. Which responsibility remains with the company?
medium
A.Replace the cloud provider’s physical security controls with on-site guards.
✓ B.Patch and harden the guest operating system and application running on the VM.
C.Install new firmware on the physical host server maintained by the provider.
D.Set the data center’s perimeter access badge policy.
Why B: In an IaaS model, the cloud provider is responsible for the security of the cloud (datacenter, hardware, hypervisor), while the customer is responsible for security in the cloud. This includes patching and hardening the guest OS and application on the VM. The company must manage vulnerabilities in the software stack it controls to prevent exploitation of outdated components.
Variation 2. A company uses a SaaS CRM platform. The provider patches the application and underlying infrastructure. Which two responsibilities remain with the company? Select two.
medium
✓ A.Set up MFA, conditional access, and user-role assignments for tenant accounts.
B.Patch the SaaS application's source code on the provider's servers.
✓ C.Decide what customer data is entered into the service and how it is shared.
D.Replace the provider's hypervisors with company-owned hardware.
E.Maintain the provider's network firewalls and datacenter cooling systems.
Why A: 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.
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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.
Question Discussion
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