CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

To meet regulatory requirements, what type of backup must be geographically separated?

1. Remote

2. Offline

3. Target

4. Incremental

The correct answer is: Remote

Geographically separated backups are crucial for adhering to regulatory requirements, particularly in industries that handle sensitive information such as healthcare, finance, or education. Remote backups are stored in locations that are physically distant from the primary data center. This separation ensures that in the event of a local disaster, such as a fire, flood, or cyberattack, the data remains safe and recoverable from another location. Maintaining backups in a remote location helps fulfill compliance mandates that require organizations to safeguard data against loss and unauthorized access. Regulations often stipulate that data must be recoverable and secure, necessitating strategies like remote backups to enhance business continuity and disaster recovery plans. In contrast, offline, target, and incremental backups do not inherently imply geographical separation. While offline backups might provide protection against certain risks by not being connected to the network, they do not indicate any geographical distancing. Target backups specifically refer to where the backup data is stored, which does not inherently include a geographic requirement. Incremental backups focus on the method of backup (saving only changes since the last backup) rather than the physical location of the data. Thus, remote backups specifically address the need for geographical separation as a means to comply with various regulatory standards.