This CCSP practice question tests your understanding of cloud security operations. 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 cloud operations team is implementing a disaster recovery plan. Which of the following are valid strategies for data replication in a cloud environment? (Choose three.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Asynchronous replication across regions
Asynchronous replication across regions is a valid DR strategy because it allows data to be copied to a geographically distant region without requiring an immediate acknowledgment from the target, which minimizes latency impact on the primary site. This approach is suitable for cloud environments where recovery point objectives (RPOs) of minutes to hours are acceptable, and it leverages the cloud provider's high-latency inter-region network links without stalling write operations.
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.
✓
Asynchronous replication across regions
Why this is correct
Asynchronous replication handles geographic distance with eventual consistency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Synchronous replication within the same region
Why this is correct
Synchronous replication ensures data consistency within low-latency regions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Periodic snapshots to object storage
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots are backups, not continuous replication.
✓
Replication via cloud provider's managed replication service
Why this is correct
Managed services like AWS S3 Replication automate data copying.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Active-active replication with load balancing
Why it's wrong here
Active-active describes application architecture, not a replication method.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the distinction between replication (continuous data copying) and backup (point-in-time snapshots), so candidates mistakenly select periodic snapshots as a replication strategy when it is actually a backup method.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Asynchronous replication typically uses a write-ahead log (WAL) or change-data-capture (CDC) mechanism to queue updates at the source and transmit them in batches to the target, allowing the primary to continue processing writes without waiting for remote acknowledgment. In cloud environments, this is often implemented via services like AWS S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) or Azure Geo-Replication, which rely on eventual consistency models and can tolerate network partitions. A subtle behavior is that during a failover, any in-flight or unacknowledged writes may be lost, so RPO is determined by the replication lag, which can vary based on network conditions and data volume.
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.
Cloud Security Operations — This question tests Cloud Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Asynchronous replication across regions — Asynchronous replication across regions is a valid DR strategy because it allows data to be copied to a geographically distant region without requiring an immediate acknowledgment from the target, which minimizes latency impact on the primary site. This approach is suitable for cloud environments where recovery point objectives (RPOs) of minutes to hours are acceptable, and it leverages the cloud provider's high-latency inter-region network links without stalling write operations.
What should I do if I get this CCSP 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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This CCSP 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 CCSP exam.
Question Discussion
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