Free Practice Questions for Isaca CGEIT Exam

The most likely root cause in this scenario is that thebusiness continuity plan (BCP) was not recently tested.A plan may exist and be theoretically sound, but without testing, organizations cannot assess whether recovery procedures work effectively under real conditions.

Testing ensures that time estimates are realistic, personnel understand their roles, and systems perform as expected. A lack of testing results in delays, confusion, and extended recovery times—even with escalation processes functioning well.

A due diligence process is the best way to enable a clear understanding of the vendor’s capabilities that will be critical to the enterprise’s strategy. A due diligence process is a systematic and comprehensive investigation and evaluation of the vendor’s background, reputation, performance, quality, reliability, security, compliance, and suitability for the enterprise’s needs and expectations. A due diligence process can help the enterprise:

Verify the vendor’s claims and credentials, and validate the vendor’s references and testimonials

Assess the vendor’s financial stability, legal status, and ethical standards

Identify the vendor’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

Compare the vendor’s offerings, capabilities, and prices with other vendors and market benchmarks

Determine the risks and benefits of engaging with the vendor, and the mitigation and contingency plans

Negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract, service level agreement (SLA), and key performance indicators (KPIs)

Within a governance structure for risk management, the second line of defense is primarily responsible for monitoring risk and controls. This function involves overseeing the effectiveness of the first line of defense (operational management and control implementation) and ensuring that risk management practices are properly integrated into business processes. It serves as a check on the adequacy and effectiveness of risk management across the organization. While conducting audits is a function of the third line of defense (internal audit), and identifying and assessing risk is often a shared responsibility, the distinct role of the second line is to provide ongoing monitoring and oversight of risk management and control processes.

Key risk indicators (KRIs) are designed to provide measurable and actionable insights about the risk environment. For the board to make informed risk-based decisions, it is essential to understand the enterprise's risk appetite (what level of risk the organization is willing to take), risk threshold (the limits within which the risks are acceptable), and risk tolerance (the degree of variability the enterprise is willing to endure). These parameters frame the organization's decision-making boundaries and enable the board to align risk responses with strategic objectives. References: COBIT 2019 and CGEIT Study Guide.

When determining the process for meeting an internal health organization's legal and regulatory obligations following a data breach, the most important consideration is the context of the breach, including data ownership and location. Understanding who owns the breached data and where it was stored or processed is crucial for determining jurisdictional and regulatory requirements. This context informs the organization's legal obligations, such as notification requirements and potential liabilities. While organizational structure, data classification, security policy, and details of the breach and incident response efforts are relevant, the context of the breach is paramount in guiding the legal and regulatory response.

 An updated business case for IT resourcing is a document that provides the rationale and justification for the proposed changes in the IT staff structure, such as the number, roles, skills, and costs of the IT personnel. An updated business case for IT resourcing should align with the IT strategy and objectives, as well as the business needs and expectations. An updated business case for IT resourcing should also include the benefits, risks, and impacts of the IT staff restructure, as well as the alternatives and recommendations12.

The other options are not as effective as an updated business case for IT resourcing to support an IT staff restructure. Established IT key performance indicators (KPIs) are measures that evaluate the performance and outcomes of the IT department, such as service quality, customer satisfaction, project delivery, and innovation. Established IT KPIs are important for monitoring and reporting the IT results and achievements, but they do not necessarily support an IT staff restructure, unless they are linked to the proposed changes in the IT staff structure3. IT staff training program requirements are specifications that define the learning needs and objectives of the IT personnel, such as skills development, knowledge enhancement, and career advancement. IT staff training program requirements are beneficial for improving the capabilities and competencies of the IT staff, but they do not directly support an IT staff restructure, unless they are aligned with the new roles and responsibilities of the IT personnel4. External IT staffing benchmarks are standards or best practices that compare the IT staff structure of other organizations or industries, such as staffing ratios, skill levels, or salary ranges. External IT staffing benchmarks are useful for assessing and improving the competitiveness and efficiency of the IT department, but they do not adequately support an IT staff restructure, unless they are customized and adapted to the specific context and situation of the organization5.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

The CGEIT Review Manual 8th Edition, in its Strategic Management domain, emphasizes aligning IT projects with business objectives through structured frameworks. Enterprise architecture (EA) provides a blueprint that maps IT projects to long-term business strategies, ensuring alignment with goals like digital transformation or market expansion. For example, EA ensures a new IT system supports strategic objectives by defining standards and roadmaps. The manual likely references COBIT 2019’s APO03-Managed Enterprise Architecture, which focuses on strategic alignment.

Option A: SLAs focus on operational performance, not strategic alignment.

Option B: Portfolio management prioritizes projects but doesn’t inherently demonstrate alignment.

Option D: BIA assesses impacts, not strategic alignment.

Double Verification: The answer aligns with COBIT’s APO03 and the CGEIT domain’s focus on strategic alignment. EA is the primary ISACA tool for demonstrating alignment.

ISACA CGEIT Review Manual 8th Edition, Domain 1: Governance of Enterprise IT (focus on enterprise architecture).

COBIT 2019, APO03-Managed Enterprise Architecture.

ISACA Glossary (for definitions of EA), available at https://www.isaca.org/resources/glossary.

A product life cycle is the length of time from a product first being introduced to consumers until it is removed from the market. It consists of four or five stages, depending on the source: introduction, growth, maturity, decline, and sometimes development1. A product life cycle information can help the enterprise to estimate the ongoing maintenance costs of IT-enabled business investments, as well as their expected benefits, risks, and returns. By requiring business cases to have product life cycle information, the enterprise can prioritize IT-enabled business investments based on their long-term value and alignment with the enterprise’s objectives2.

A balanced scorecard is a management system that clarifies the strategy and vision of an organization, translating them into action that can be tracked. It uses four perspectives: financial, customer, internal business process, and knowledge, education, and growth3. A balanced scorecard for the IT project portfolio can help the enterprise to measure the performance and value of IT projects, but it does not necessarily consider the ongoing maintenance costs of IT-enabled business investments.

A portfolio manager is a specialized project manager who focuses on IT projects. They are responsible for keeping projects within budget, optimizing time management for IT teams, and allocating resources appropriately4. Establishing a portfolio manager role to monitor and control the IT projects can help the enterprise to manage its IT project portfolio more effectively, but it does not address the issue of prioritizing IT-enabled business investments based on their ongoing maintenance costs.

An enterprise architecture (EA) is a conceptual blueprint that defines the structure and operation of an organization. It describes the current and future state of the organization in terms of its strategy, processes, information systems, and technology infrastructure5. Mandating an EA review with business stakeholders can help the enterprise to align its IT-enabled business investments with its strategic goals and ensure compliance with defined security rules, but it does not solve the problem of considering the ongoing maintenance costs of IT-enabled business investments.

The best approach to assist an enterprise in planning for IT-enabled investments is enterprise architecture (EA). EA is a holistic and integrated view of the current and future state of the business, IT, and their alignment1. EA helps to identify and prioritize the business needs andobjectives, and to design and deliver the IT solutions that support them2. EA also helps to optimize the IT resources and processes, and to ensure that they are aligned with the business strategy and goals3. EA also helps to measure and monitor the IT performance and outcomes, and to evaluate the value and benefits of the IT investments4. EA also helps to manage the risks, costs, and complexity of the IT investments, and to ensure that they comply with the legal and regulatory requirements5.

IT process mapping, task management, and service level management are not as comprehensive or effective as EA in assisting an enterprise in planning for IT-enabled investments. IT process mapping is a visual representation of a process that shows the steps and their relationships6. It can help to understand how a process works, but it does not provide a strategic or architectural view of the business or IT. Task management is a process of managing individual or group tasks to achieve goals7. It can help to track and delegate work, but it does not address the alignment or optimization of IT with the business. Service level management is a process of defining, documenting, and agreeing on service levels within an IT service management system8. It can help to ensure that services are delivered at an agreed level, but it does not cover the design or delivery of IT solutions that meet the business needs. Therefore, EA is the best approach to assist an enterprise in planning for IT-enabled investments.

According to the web search results, projects where management has a choice in implementing them are called discretionary projects. Projects where no choice exists are called nondiscretionary projects1. Compliance with statutory regulations is a nondiscretionary project, as it is required by law and cannot be avoided or postponed. The other options are discretionary projects, as they are based on the management’s decision and preference, and can be prioritized or delayed according to the business needs and goals. References: CGEIT Certification, CIO Dashboard, Answers

According to the CGEIT exam guide, one of the roles of the CIO is to develop and maintain a high-performing IT workforce that can deliver value to the enterprise. To enhance the competencies of an IT business analytics team, the CIO should first understand the current staff skill sets and identify the gaps between the existing and desired capabilities. This will help the CIO to plan and implement appropriate training, coaching, mentoring, and career development programs for the team members. The other options are not directly related to enhancing the competencies of an IT business analytics team, but rather to other aspects of IT governance and management. References: CGEIT Exam Candidate Guide, page 14. CGEIT Certification, Enhancing Competencies of IT Business Analytics Team

Security awareness training is the best way to ensure employees understand how to protect sensitive corporate data on their mobile devices, as it can educate them on the risks, policies, and best practices of BYOD and MDM. Security awareness training can also help employees recognize and avoid common threats, such as phishing, malware, and data leakage. Security procedures, BYOD policy, and NDAs are also important, but they are not sufficient to ensure employees have the knowledge and skills to secure their mobile devices. Security procedures and BYOD policy need to be communicated and enforced effectively, and NDAs only protect the legal rights of the organization, not the actual data on the devices. References := The Ultimate Guide to BYOD Security: Definition & More - Digital Guardian; What is BYOD? | IBM; How to have secure remote working with a BYOD policy; 5 Best Practices in BYOD Policy for Small Business - Scalefusion; BYOD Reignited: How To Get It Right This Time - Forbes.

The best long-term solution to address the concern regarding loss of experienced staff is to implement knowledge management practices, because knowledge management is the process of creating, sharing, using, and managing the knowledge and information of an organization1. Knowledge management practices can help capture, document, and transfer the valuable knowledge and expertise of the experienced staff before they leave the organization, as well as facilitate the learning and development of the new or existing staff. Knowledge management practices can also enhance the organizational performance, innovation, and competitiveness by leveraging the intellectual capital and creating a culture of knowledge sharing2. According to a study by 3, the impact of knowledge management practices on employee retention is significant and positive in both IT and banking industries. Another study by 4 found that knowledge management practices can improve job satisfaction and employee retention by fostering a supportive work environment, providing growth opportunities, and rewarding knowledge contributions. Therefore, implementing knowledge management practices can help mitigate the risk of losing experienced staff and their knowledge in the long run.

The other options are not the best long-term solutions, because they are either short-term or partial solutions. Establishing a mentoring program for IT staff can help transfer some of the knowledge and skills of the experienced staff to the mentees, but it may not be sufficient or systematic enough to capture and preserve all the relevant knowledge. Determining key risk indicators (KRIs) can help monitor and measure the risk exposure of losing experienced staff, but it does not address the root cause or provide a solution for the problem. Retaining key staff as consultants can help retain some of the expertise and experience of the staff, but it may not be feasible or cost-effective in the long term, and it may also create dependency and vulnerability issues for the organization.

This is the best way to mitigate the human factors of social engineering risk within the organization from a governance perspective, as it helps to educate and empower the employees to recognize and prevent social engineering attacks. Social engineering attacks are malicious attacks that use deception and manipulation to exploit human behavior and trick people into revealing sensitive information, clicking malicious links, or opening malicious files1. These attacks can cause serious damage to the organization, such as financial loss, data breach, reputation harm, or legal liability1. Therefore, it is essential to address the human factors of social engineering risk, which are the psychological and emotional vulnerabilities that make people susceptible to these attacks, such as curiosity, greed, fear, urgency, or trust2. By mandating annual security awareness training, the organization can raise the level of knowledge and awareness among the employees about the common types, techniques, and indicators of social engineering attacks, as well as the best practices and policies to avoid them2. Security awareness training can also help to foster a culture of security and responsibility among the employees, and to reinforce their role and accountability in protecting the organization’s assets and interests2. The other options are not as effective as mandating annual security awareness training, as they do not address the human factors of social engineering risk directly. Distributing the social media information security policy to staff may help to inform them about the rules and expectations for using social media platforms, but it does not ensure that they understand or follow them. Restricting access to social media may help to reduce the exposure to potential social engineering attacks, but it does not prevent them from occurring through other channels or mediums. Mandating security requirements be included in employee contracts may help to enforce compliance and deter violations, but it does not prevent them from happening due to ignorance or negligence.

An enterprise that has identified potential environmental disasters that could occur in the area where its data center is located should next assess the likelihood and impact on the data center, because this would help to evaluate the level of risk and prioritize the appropriate risk response strategies. The likelihood and impact assessment should consider the frequency, severity, duration, and scope of the potential disasters, and the potential consequences for the data center’s availability, integrity, confidentiality, and performance12. References := ISACA, CGEIT Review Manual, 7th Edition, 2019, page 75-76.