CCSP - Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security (17% of the exam) - Section 3.2
Design a secure data center.
Logical, physical and environmental design, and resilience tiering including redundancy of power, cooling and connectivity.
logical and physical designenvironmental controlsdata centre tiersHVAC and power redundancyUptime Institute tiers
Practice question for this objective
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A cloud provider advertises that its data centre has concurrently maintainable power and cooling, meaning any single capacity component or distribution path element can be taken out of service for planned maintenance without disrupting the IT load. Which Uptime Institute tier does this description match?
ATier I, because it provides basic site infrastructure with dedicated space for IT systems.
BTier II, because redundant capacity components protect against a single component failure.
CTier IV, because only full fault tolerance allows a component to be removed for maintenance.
DTier III, because concurrent maintainability requires redundant components and multiple distribution paths.check_circle Correct
Distinguish Uptime Institute data centre tiers by mapping concurrent maintainability to Tier III. Concurrent maintainability means every capacity component and every distribution path can be serviced without shutting down the IT load. That demands both redundant components and multiple independent distribution paths, which is the defining property of Tier III, one step below the fault tolerance of Tier IV.
Why A is wrong: Tier I offers only non-redundant capacity components and a single distribution path, so any maintenance or component failure drops the load; it does not meet the concurrently maintainable standard described.
Why B is wrong: Tier II adds redundant capacity components but still relies on a single distribution path, so maintaining that path disrupts the IT load; concurrent maintainability requires more than redundant components alone.
Why C is wrong: Tier IV is fault tolerant and withstands an unplanned failure, which is stronger than what is described; concurrent maintainability alone is the Tier III standard, so Tier IV over-specifies the requirement.
Why D is correct: Tier III is defined by concurrent maintainability: redundant capacity components plus multiple independent distribution paths so any element can be removed for maintenance without affecting the load, exactly as stated.
Exam traps in Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security
Answers that look right on this material and are not. Each one is a distractor from a different question in the CCSP bank for this domain.
Tier I, because a single non-redundant path for power and cooling is sufficient for a private cloud that the bank fully controls
errorWhy it is wrong: Tier I has no redundancy and no concurrent maintainability, so any component service forces the workloads down, which the requirement forbids.
Uninterruptible power supplies are a system and communication control, while HVAC is a physical and environmental control
errorWhy it is wrong: Tempting because power feels close to systems, but power continuity protects the facility environment, so it is a physical and environmental control, not a communications control.
Raise the data hall set point to the upper end of the recommended range so the HVAC plant runs fewer cycles overall
errorWhy it is wrong: A higher set point can save energy, but it does nothing to stop supply and exhaust air mixing, which is the specific problem stated.