CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
An organization is developing its IT strategy to align with the overall business strategy. The business strategy emphasizes rapid market expansion through digital products. Which of the following IT strategies would BEST support this business goal?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISA often tests whether candidates equate cost reduction with strategic alignment, so the trap is picking the low-cost outsourcing or standardization option when the business goal is speed and growth.
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
✓
Adopt agile development methods and scalable cloud infrastructure.
A business strategy focused on rapid market expansion through digital products requires IT to deliver quickly and scale elastically. Agile development methods enable fast iteration and responsiveness to market feedback, while scalable cloud infrastructure provides the elasticity to handle growth without heavy upfront capital investment. Together they directly enable speed and scale, which are the core requirements of the stated strategy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Standardize all IT systems to reduce complexity.
Why it's wrong here
Standardising all IT systems reduces complexity but prioritises stability over the speed and flexibility that rapid digital-product expansion demands. It is tempting because standardisation genuinely suits mature, cost-focused estates consolidating duplicated platforms. Here, though, the business goal requires scalable, rapidly deployable digital capability, which rigid uniformity actively constrains.
- ✓
Adopt agile development methods and scalable cloud infrastructure.
Why this is correct
Agile methods enable rapid iterative delivery of digital products, while scalable cloud infrastructure absorbs unpredictable demand during market expansion. Together they satisfy the strategy's requirement for speed and elasticity, which traditional waterfall development and fixed on-premises capacity cannot match.
- ✗
Outsource all IT operations to a low-cost provider.
Why it's wrong here
Outsourcing to a low-cost provider trades responsiveness for cost, so product iteration slows and market timing suffers. It suits stable, non-differentiating commodity workloads where operational savings matter most, not rapid digital product launches requiring tight development cycles.
- ✗
Minimize IT investment to preserve capital for business growth.
Why it's wrong here
Withholding IT investment starves the platforms, tooling and capacity that digital product delivery depends on, directly contradicting the expansion goal. Capital preservation suits mature, cost-constrained organisations with stable portfolios, not those pursuing aggressive growth through new digital offerings.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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