- A
Implement Quality of Service (QoS) policies to prioritize database replication traffic over other data transfers.
QoS ensures that critical DR replication traffic gets sufficient bandwidth, preventing saturation by low-priority jobs.
- B
Increase the bandwidth on the replication link by ordering a faster circuit from the ISP.
Why wrong: Increasing bandwidth may help but does not prevent future scheduling conflicts; it is a costly and temporary fix.
- C
Reschedule the next DR test to occur during a scheduled maintenance window with no other replication activity.
Why wrong: Rescheduling avoids the conflict but does not prevent it from happening during an actual disaster.
- D
Revise the RTO for the customer database from 4 hours to 8 hours to account for current bandwidth limitations.
Why wrong: Changing RTOs is a business decision but does not fix the technical failure; it merely adjusts expectations.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to implement Quality of Service (QoS) policies to prioritize database replication traffic over other data transfers. This directly addresses the root cause—link saturation—by ensuring that critical replication traffic for disaster recovery always receives the necessary bandwidth, even when large synchronization jobs are running concurrently. On the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam, this scenario tests your understanding of network QoS as a traffic management tool rather than a bandwidth expansion solution; a common trap is choosing to simply increase bandwidth or revise RTOs, which treat symptoms rather than the underlying contention. Remember that in disaster recovery planning, QoS priority replication traffic ensures that time-sensitive data meets its Recovery Time Objective without requiring additional infrastructure. A useful memory tip: think of QoS as a “VIP lane” for your most critical data—it doesn’t widen the road, but it ensures the right car gets through first.
ISC2 CC Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response Practice Question
This CC practice question tests your understanding of business continuity, dr & incident response. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 multinational financial services organization operates three data centers in different geographic regions. Each data center runs a mix of critical and non-critical applications. The DR plan specifies Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) ranging from 4 hours for critical applications to 72 hours for non-critical. During a scheduled DR test, the team attempts to fail over the primary customer database to the secondary site. The failover fails because the replication link between sites was saturated due to a large data synchronization job running concurrently. The test is declared a failure, and senior management is concerned about the DR plan's reliability. The IT director suggests increasing bandwidth between sites. The security architect proposes implementing network prioritization for replication traffic. The business continuity manager recommends revising the RTOs to be more realistic based on current bandwidth. The system administrator thinks the issue will resolve if the test is repeated during off-peak hours. Which of the following is the BEST course of action to address the root cause of the failure?
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.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
Implement Quality of Service (QoS) policies to prioritize database replication traffic over other data transfers.
The root cause is that the replication link was saturated by a large data synchronization job, which delayed the critical database replication traffic needed to meet the 4-hour RTO. Implementing Quality of Service (QoS) policies directly addresses this by prioritizing database replication traffic over other data transfers, ensuring that critical replication gets the necessary bandwidth even during concurrent large jobs. This is the most effective solution because it resolves the contention without requiring additional bandwidth or changing RTOs.
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.
- ✓
Implement Quality of Service (QoS) policies to prioritize database replication traffic over other data transfers.
Why this is correct
QoS ensures that critical DR replication traffic gets sufficient bandwidth, preventing saturation by low-priority jobs.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the bandwidth on the replication link by ordering a faster circuit from the ISP.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing bandwidth may help but does not prevent future scheduling conflicts; it is a costly and temporary fix.
- ✗
Reschedule the next DR test to occur during a scheduled maintenance window with no other replication activity.
Why it's wrong here
Rescheduling avoids the conflict but does not prevent it from happening during an actual disaster.
- ✗
Revise the RTO for the customer database from 4 hours to 8 hours to account for current bandwidth limitations.
Why it's wrong here
Changing RTOs is a business decision but does not fix the technical failure; it merely adjusts expectations.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the misconception that simply adding more bandwidth (Option B) solves all congestion issues, but the trap is that without traffic prioritization, the root cause of contention between different traffic types remains unaddressed.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
QoS uses mechanisms like Class-Based Weighted Fair Queuing (CBWFQ) and Low Latency Queuing (LLQ) to mark and prioritize traffic based on DSCP or CoS values. For database replication, you would typically assign it to a high-priority queue with guaranteed bandwidth, while bulk data synchronization jobs are placed in a lower-priority queue. In real-world scenarios, this prevents a single non-critical job from starving critical replication traffic, ensuring RTOs are met without requiring expensive bandwidth upgrades.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CC question test?
Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response — This question tests Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement Quality of Service (QoS) policies to prioritize database replication traffic over other data transfers. — The root cause is that the replication link was saturated by a large data synchronization job, which delayed the critical database replication traffic needed to meet the 4-hour RTO. Implementing Quality of Service (QoS) policies directly addresses this by prioritizing database replication traffic over other data transfers, ensuring that critical replication gets the necessary bandwidth even during concurrent large jobs. This is the most effective solution because it resolves the contention without requiring additional bandwidth or changing RTOs.
What should I do if I get this CC question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best", "primary". 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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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.
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