Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)Incident ManagementMedium
A CISO is developing a disaster recovery plan (DRP) for an organization that relies heavily on a single, aging data center. The CISO identifies the data center as a significant single point of failure. Which of the following strategies BEST mitigates this risk while ensuring business continuity?
- AUpgrading the existing data center infrastructure with redundant power and cooling systems.
- BNegotiating a contract with a third-party vendor for on-demand cloud computing resources.
- CImplementing a rigorous backup schedule for all data and systems to an offsite tape library.
- DEstablishing a geographically separate hot site with real-time data replication for critical systems.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Establishing a geographically separate hot site with real-time data replication for critical systems.
A geographically separate hot site with real-time data replication provides the highest level of resilience against a single data center failure, allowing for near-instantaneous failover and minimal data loss, thus best ensuring business continuity.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Upgrading the existing data center only protects against internal component failures, not against a site-wide disaster like a fire or natural disaster.
- B. On-demand cloud resources might be slow to provision and configure for complex systems, potentially impacting RTO/RPO.
- C. Offsite tape backups are good for data recovery but do not provide rapid system recovery or continuity in case of a data center failure.
Hot Site
A fully equipped, offsite data center that can be operational within hours, often with mirrored or real-time replicated data from the primary site.
- Provides the quickest recovery time (lowest RTO).
- Minimizes data loss (lowest RPO) through continuous replication.
- Most expensive recovery option due to ongoing operational costs.
Memory trick: Hot sites are like having a twin data center ready to jump in.