SY0-701 Question 445
Single answerA company is outsourcing the deployment of a new security monitoring platform to a managed security services provider. During contract review, the security manager notices that the legal team already signed a master service agreement covering general legal terms, payment structures, liability limits, and dispute handling. The project team now needs a document that defines the specific tasks for this engagement, including deploying sensors to 12 sites, configuring alert thresholds, performing user training, listing deliverables, and setting the project timeline. Which document should the company use NEXT for this project?
- A
Service-level agreement (SLA)
- B
Statement of work (SOW)
- C
Memorandum of understanding (MOU)
- D
Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The best answer is Statement of Work (SOW). In vendor and service-provider relationships, an MSA typically establishes the overarching legal framework for the relationship, including standard terms such as liability, payment, and dispute resolution. After that, an SOW or work order is used to define the details of a specific engagement, such as scope, tasks, deliverables, implementation requirements, schedule, and sometimes roles and acceptance criteria. By contrast, an SLA focuses on ongoing performance metrics like availability or response times, an NDA focuses on confidentiality, and an MOU documents general intent rather than detailed contractual work requirements. This distinction aligns with common procurement, contract management, and third-party risk management practices used in IT and security operations.
- A. Incorrect.
An SLA defines measurable service expectations such as uptime, response time, and support metrics. It is important in vendor relationships, but it does not primarily define the detailed project scope, deliverables, milestones, or implementation tasks for a one-time deployment effort. Someone might choose this because monitoring services often include SLAs, but the scenario is specifically asking for the document that outlines the project work itself.
- B. Correct.
A statement of work (SOW) is correct because it documents the specific work to be performed under an existing agreement, including scope, tasks, deliverables, timeline, and often acceptance criteria. Since the master service agreement is already in place for overarching legal and commercial terms, the SOW is the appropriate next document to describe this particular security platform deployment engagement.
- C. Incorrect.
An MOU is generally used to express mutual intent or understanding between parties, often before a formal contract exists or when the parties want to document broad cooperation. It is usually less specific and less enforceable than a formal contract document such as an SOW. A candidate might select this if they confuse general cooperation language with project execution requirements.
- D. Incorrect.
An NDA protects confidential information shared between parties. While an NDA may be necessary in a security project, it does not define the deployment tasks, deliverables, site count, training obligations, or project timeline. This is a common distractor because security engagements frequently involve sensitive data, but confidentiality is not the primary need described here.