The answer is a hot standby site with real-time replication. This is correct because a hot standby site maintains a fully synchronized, continuously updated copy of the ERP system, enabling failover within minutes and achieving an RTO well under 4 hours while real-time replication keeps the RPO near zero, eliminating the tape restore bottleneck. On the CISA exam, this scenario tests your understanding of recovery strategy alignment with business continuity metrics—a common trap is choosing faster backups (like disk-based replication) which still fail to meet a 4-hour RTO due to restore time, whereas a hot standby site directly addresses both time and data loss targets. Remember the memory tip: “Hot standby hits both RTO and RPO; cold tape only covers one.”
CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of information systems operations and business resilience. 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 medium-sized retail company relies on an ERP system for order processing and inventory management. The system is hosted on-premises with daily backups stored on tape. The company's business continuity plan specifies an RTO of 4 hours and an RPO of 1 hour for the ERP system. During a recent fire drill, it was discovered that restoring the ERP system from tape took over 6 hours, and the most recent backup was from the previous day. Which of the following is the BEST course of action to meet the RTO and RPO goals?
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 the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Implement a hot standby site with real-time replication.
Option A is correct because a hot standby site with real-time replication can achieve an RPO near zero and an RTO within 4 hours. Option B reduces RPO but does not improve the long restore time. Option C increases RPO to days, which is worse. Option D does not address the recovery capability.
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.
✗
Increase the frequency of tape backups to every 30 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
More frequent backups improve RPO but restore time remains too long.
✗
Conduct quarterly fire drills instead of annually.
Why it's wrong here
Testing frequency does not address the fundamental recovery time and data loss issues.
✓
Implement a hot standby site with real-time replication.
Why this is correct
Hot standby with replication meets both RTO and RPO requirements.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Replace tape backups with weekly cloud backups.
Why it's wrong here
Weekly backups increase RPO to days, violating the 1-hour RPO.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 practitioner preparing for the CISA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which CISA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience — This question tests Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement a hot standby site with real-time replication. — Option A is correct because a hot standby site with real-time replication can achieve an RPO near zero and an RTO within 4 hours. Option B reduces RPO but does not improve the long restore time. Option C increases RPO to days, which is worse. Option D does not address the recovery capability.
What should I do if I get this CISA question wrong?
Identify which CISA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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.
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Question Discussion
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