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CISA Practice Question: A company's backup policy requires that backup…
A company's backup policy requires that backup media be stored offsite. Which of the following is the PRIMARY reason for this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse compliance or cost as the primary driver, but the CISA exam emphasizes that business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) requirements—specifically ensuring data survival after a site disaster—are the fundamental reason for offsite backup storage.
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
✓
To ensure data is available in case of a site disaster
The primary reason for storing backup media offsite is to ensure data availability and recoverability in the event of a site-level disaster, such as a fire, flood, or physical destruction of the primary data center. This aligns with the core business continuity principle of geographic separation to avoid a single point of failure. Without offsite storage, a site disaster would destroy both primary and backup data, making recovery impossible.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
To ensure data is available in case of a site disaster
Why this is correct
Offsite storage preserves data integrity when the primary site is compromised.
- ✗
To reduce backup storage costs
Why it's wrong here
Offsite storage often increases costs.
- ✗
To comply with regulatory requirements
Why it's wrong here
While some regulations require offsite storage, it is not the primary reason.
- ✗
To protect against theft
Why it's wrong here
Theft protection is a secondary benefit, not the primary objective.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA 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 CISA exam.