The answer is geographical diversity to avoid the same seismic zone. This criterion is most important because a disaster recovery site must be located outside the primary data center’s seismic zone to ensure a single earthquake cannot destroy both facilities, directly preserving availability during a regional catastrophe. On the CISSP exam, this tests your understanding that disaster recovery planning prioritizes survivability over performance; a common trap is choosing low latency or high bandwidth, which are secondary concerns if both sites are wiped out by the same event. Remember the memory tip: “Same zone, same tomb”—if your recovery site shares the primary’s seismic zone, a single disaster buries your entire continuity plan.
CISSP Security Architecture and Engineering Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security architecture and engineering. 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.
An organization is designing a disaster recovery site. The primary data center is located in a region prone to earthquakes. The recovery site must be far enough away to avoid the same seismic zone but close enough to minimize latency. Which site selection criteria is most important?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
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.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Geographical diversity to avoid the same seismic zone
Geographical diversity (Option B) is the most important criterion because the primary data center is in an earthquake-prone region, and the recovery site must be located outside the same seismic zone to ensure that a single seismic event does not destroy both sites. This directly addresses the core requirement of disaster recovery: maintaining availability during a regional catastrophe. While latency and connectivity are important, they are secondary to ensuring the recovery site survives the same disaster.
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.
✗
Access to diverse power grids
Why it's wrong here
Important but not primary; geographic separation is key.
✓
Geographical diversity to avoid the same seismic zone
Why this is correct
Prevents a single earthquake from disabling both sites.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "primary", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
High-speed network connectivity between sites
Why it's wrong here
Connectivity is important but can be achieved over distance.
✗
Availability of skilled personnel near the recovery site
Why it's wrong here
Personnel can be relocated; geographic diversity is paramount.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often prioritize network connectivity (Option C) or power diversity (Option A) because they are common in high-availability design, but the question explicitly states the primary risk is a regional earthquake, making geographic diversity the non-negotiable requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In disaster recovery planning, the concept of 'mutually exclusive failure domains' is critical; for seismic risks, this typically requires a separation distance of at least 100–200 miles (depending on fault lines) to avoid correlated failures. Synchronous replication (e.g., using Oracle Data Guard or SQL Server Always On) demands low latency (typically <5 ms RTT), which must be balanced against the need for geographic separation—often leading to asynchronous replication (e.g., using log shipping or AWS S3 Cross-Region Replication) when distances exceed that threshold. Real-world examples include financial institutions placing DR sites in different FEMA seismic zones, such as a primary in San Francisco and a DR in Las Vegas or Phoenix.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CISSP question in full detail.
Security Architecture and Engineering — This question tests Security Architecture and Engineering — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Geographical diversity to avoid the same seismic zone — Geographical diversity (Option B) is the most important criterion because the primary data center is in an earthquake-prone region, and the recovery site must be located outside the same seismic zone to ensure that a single seismic event does not destroy both sites. This directly addresses the core requirement of disaster recovery: maintaining availability during a regional catastrophe. While latency and connectivity are important, they are secondary to ensuring the recovery site survives the same disaster.
What should I do if I get this CISSP 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: "primary", "minimum / minimize". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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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