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CCSP Practice Question: A large healthcare organization runs its…
A large healthcare organization runs its electronic health records (EHR) system on a private cloud built with VMware vSphere. They have implemented a hybrid cloud strategy with a public cloud provider for disaster recovery. The EHR application is mission-critical and must maintain high availability with zero data loss. During a routine audit, the security team discovers that the replication between the private cloud and the public cloud uses asynchronous replication with a 15-minute recovery point objective (RPO). However, the application requires an RPO of less than 1 minute. Additionally, the replication data is not encrypted in transit. The compliance officer demands immediate remediation. The cloud architect must propose a solution that meets the RPO requirement and ensures encryption of data in transit. Which of the following actions is the most appropriate first step?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that increasing asynchronous replication frequency can achieve near-zero RPO, but only synchronous replication guarantees zero data loss by ensuring writes are committed at both sites before acknowledgment.
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
✓
Switch to synchronous replication between the private cloud and public cloud to achieve near-zero RPO, and enable TLS for replication traffic.
Synchronous replication ensures that data is written to both the primary and secondary sites before acknowledging the write, achieving near-zero RPO (typically sub-second). Enabling TLS for replication traffic encrypts data in transit, directly addressing the compliance requirement. This approach meets the application's mission-critical need for zero data loss and encryption without changing the underlying hybrid architecture.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Move the entire EHR system to the public cloud and use native replication services.
Why it's wrong here
Migration is costly and may introduce new vulnerabilities.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of asynchronous replication to every 30 seconds and use IPsec VPN for encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Even 30-second asynchronous may exceed 1-minute RPO during failure.
- ✓
Switch to synchronous replication between the private cloud and public cloud to achieve near-zero RPO, and enable TLS for replication traffic.
Why this is correct
Synchronous replication meets RPO and TLS ensures encryption.
- ✗
Implement a third-party replication tool that uses compression and encryption, and keep asynchronous replication with 15-minute RPO.
Why it's wrong here
Does not meet RPO requirement.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.