What Is a Cost-Effective Advantage of a Split-Tunnel VPN?
Short answer
D Cloud-based traffic flows outside of the company's network.
Question
Key Takeaways
The question tests your understanding of split tunneling's traffic-routing advantages, specifically bandwidth and cost savings, and the trap is confusing security features like filtering or monitoring with cost advantages.
Split-tunnel VPNs route only corporate-bound traffic through the encrypted tunnel, letting other traffic—including cloud-based traffic—go directly to the internet. This reduces bandwidth on the company's connection and lowers costs, a view supported by unanimous community comments.
Common mistake: Choosing C (Monitoring detects insecure machines on the company's network) is a likely mistake because split tunneling is often discussed in security contexts, but monitoring and insecure-machine detection are not a cost-effective advantage; in fact, split tunneling can reduce visibility.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
Option D correctly identifies a cost-effective advantage of split-tunnel VPN. In this configuration, only traffic destined for the corporate network is encrypted and sent through the VPN tunnel; cloud-based and general internet traffic exits via the local internet connection. This reduces bandwidth consumption on the company's internet link, lowers demands on VPN concentrators, and decreases operating costs. Comment [1] explicitly states that split-tunnel VPNs reduce the bandwidth load, and comment [2] notes that encrypting only critical traffic saves overhead and resources.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A, 'Web traffic is filtered through a web filler' (likely meaning web filter), is not a characteristic of split tunneling; web filtering is typically performed by a proxy or security gateway, and split tunneling often bypasses such controls. Option B is the opposite of the cost advantage—split tunneling reduces the bandwidth required on the company's internet connection, not increases it. Option C refers to detecting insecure machines on the network, which relates to network access control and is not a cost-effective benefit of split tunneling. Comment [3] confirms that D is the only option describing an actual advantage of split-tunnel VPN.
Community Comment Notes
The most useful comment (10 likes) explains that cost savings in split-tunnel VPNs occur because non-essential traffic flows directly to the internet, reducing the bandwidth load on the company network. A second comment (2 likes) adds that split-tunnel VPNs encrypt only critical corporate traffic, lowering overhead and resource usage. A third comment simply agrees that D is the only answer describing an advantage. There were no opposing viewpoints in the discussion, and all comments align with D.
Official Reference
- https://www.comptia.org/certifications/network
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-protection/vpn/vpn-routing
- https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-77.pdf
These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
On the exam, when asked about cost-effective advantages, think about bandwidth and resource usage—split-tunnel VPNs avoid backhauling internet and cloud traffic to the corporate network. Eliminate options that describe security features or increased bandwidth, and remember that 'traffic flows outside the company's network' is a sign of reduced load and lower cost.
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 3 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 3
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chupapi_001 👍 10 Answered DThe correct answer is D. Cloud-based traffic flows outside of the company's network. Split-tunnel VPNs provide cost savings primarily because they reduce the bandwidth load on the company's network by allowing non-essential traffic to flow directly to the internet.
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Parshman 👍 2 Answered DI chose D because split tunnel VPNs only encrypt the critical traffic within the company's tunnel. The data that isn't encrypted is non-essential, allowing the company to save on overhead and resources by having to encrypt less data.
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kinkistyle 👍 1 Answered DD is the only answer that has anything to do with an advantage of Split Tunnel VPN's
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