- A
Assigning user roles and approving access within the tenant.
Customer organizations usually remain responsible for deciding who gets access and what role each user receives inside the SaaS tenant. The provider supplies the platform, but the customer controls business authorization decisions. This is a core shared responsibility item because access mistakes often come from tenant configuration rather than provider infrastructure.
- B
Protecting the organization's data classification and sharing rules.
Data classification and sharing decisions belong to the customer because the business defines what information is sensitive and who may see it. The SaaS provider may offer tools, but the customer must configure and enforce proper handling. This responsibility remains with the organization even when the data is stored in a vendor-managed platform.
- C
Patching the provider's underlying database engine.
Why wrong: The SaaS provider is normally responsible for patching and maintaining the platform infrastructure, including underlying databases and host services. Customers do not directly manage those layers in a true SaaS model. Trying to treat that work as a customer duty misunderstands the service boundary.
- D
Maintaining the vendor's physical data center power and cooling.
Why wrong: Physical data center operations are handled by the SaaS provider or its infrastructure partners. Customers do not manage power, cooling, or hardware replacement in the provider facility. Those responsibilities sit far below the customer control plane in the shared responsibility model.
- E
Replacing the provider's hypervisors during maintenance windows.
Why wrong: Hypervisor maintenance is part of the provider's platform responsibility, not the customer’s. In SaaS, customers should focus on identity, data handling, and tenant configuration. Hardware and virtualization layers remain under the vendor's control and are not customer-administered tasks.
SY0-701 Security Architecture Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security architecture. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 SaaS vendor hosts a customer relationship platform for multiple organizations. Your company wants to know which two responsibilities typically remain with the customer rather than the SaaS provider. 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
Assigning user roles and approving access within the tenant.
Option A is correct because in a SaaS model, the customer retains administrative control over user identities, roles, and access permissions within their own tenant. The SaaS provider manages the underlying application and infrastructure, but the customer must configure role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce least privilege and approve access requests. This aligns with the shared responsibility model where identity and access management (IAM) at the application layer falls to the customer.
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.
- ✓
Assigning user roles and approving access within the tenant.
Why this is correct
Customer organizations usually remain responsible for deciding who gets access and what role each user receives inside the SaaS tenant. The provider supplies the platform, but the customer controls business authorization decisions. This is a core shared responsibility item because access mistakes often come from tenant configuration rather than provider infrastructure.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Protecting the organization's data classification and sharing rules.
Why this is correct
Data classification and sharing decisions belong to the customer because the business defines what information is sensitive and who may see it. The SaaS provider may offer tools, but the customer must configure and enforce proper handling. This responsibility remains with the organization even when the data is stored in a vendor-managed platform.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Patching the provider's underlying database engine.
Why it's wrong here
The SaaS provider is normally responsible for patching and maintaining the platform infrastructure, including underlying databases and host services. Customers do not directly manage those layers in a true SaaS model. Trying to treat that work as a customer duty misunderstands the service boundary.
- ✗
Maintaining the vendor's physical data center power and cooling.
Why it's wrong here
Physical data center operations are handled by the SaaS provider or its infrastructure partners. Customers do not manage power, cooling, or hardware replacement in the provider facility. Those responsibilities sit far below the customer control plane in the shared responsibility model.
- ✗
Replacing the provider's hypervisors during maintenance windows.
Why it's wrong here
Hypervisor maintenance is part of the provider's platform responsibility, not the customer’s. In SaaS, customers should focus on identity, data handling, and tenant configuration. Hardware and virtualization layers remain under the vendor's control and are not customer-administered tasks.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse infrastructure maintenance tasks (like patching databases or replacing hypervisors) with customer responsibilities, but in SaaS, the provider handles all underlying infrastructure while the customer only manages tenant-specific configurations and data governance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a SaaS shared responsibility model, the provider secures the physical host, network, and hypervisor, while the customer manages tenant-level configurations such as data classification labels (e.g., using Microsoft Purview or AWS Macie) and sharing rules via external collaboration policies. For example, in Microsoft 365, the customer must configure sensitivity labels and external sharing settings to prevent data leakage, as the provider cannot enforce the customer's specific data governance policies. This distinction is critical in compliance frameworks like SOC 2 or ISO 27001 where the customer must demonstrate control over data handling.
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 team runs a vulnerability scan on a web application and discovers an unpatched SQL injection flaw. The team prioritises remediation by CVSS score — critical flaws are patched within 24 hours, high within 7 days. Questions like this test whether you understand vulnerability management processes, scanning tools, and remediation prioritisation.
Quick reference
OSI Model Reference
| Layer | Name | PDU | Key Protocols / Devices |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Application | Data | HTTP, HTTPS, DNS, SMTP, FTP, SSH |
| 6 | Presentation | Data | TLS / SSL, JPEG, ASCII encoding |
| 5 | Session | Data | NetBIOS, RPC, SIP |
| 4 | Transport | Segment / Datagram | TCP, UDP |
| 3 | Network | Packet | IP, ICMP, OSPF — Routers |
| 2 | Data Link | Frame | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, PPP — Switches, Bridges |
| 1 | Physical | Bits | Cables, NICs, Hubs, Repeaters |
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: Assigning user roles and approving access within the tenant. — Option A is correct because in a SaaS model, the customer retains administrative control over user identities, roles, and access permissions within their own tenant. The SaaS provider manages the underlying application and infrastructure, but the customer must configure role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce least privilege and approve access requests. This aligns with the shared responsibility model where identity and access management (IAM) at the application layer falls to the customer.
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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