Nutanix Certified Associate Practice Exam

Which Data Protection Method should be used for a customer with specific requirements including latency, shortest RPO/RTO, and application consistent snapshots?

1. Metro Availability

2. Cloud Connect

3. Async

4. Near Sync

The correct answer is: Near Sync

Using the Near Sync data protection method is optimal for a customer with stringent requirements for low latency, the shortest possible Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO), alongside the need for application-consistent snapshots. Near Sync works by replicating data to a secondary site in near real-time. This minimizes the data loss risk and ensures that the RPO is kept to a minimum, potentially as low as 5 minutes, which aligns well with the requirement for the shortest RPO. Additionally, its architecture allows for quick recovery, which directly impacts the RTO by enabling faster access to the most recent data states and quicker failover processes. The application-consistent snapshots that Near Sync can provide are particularly vital during replication to capture consistent states of applications, which is essential for recovery scenarios. This guarantees that when data is recovered, it will be in a state that applications can immediately utilize without requiring additional recovery processes. This method suits environments where high availability and minimal downtime are paramount, thus addressing the customer's needs effectively.