ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC)Business Continuity (BC), Disaster Recovery (DR) & Incident Response (IR) ConceptsMedium
A healthcare provider is establishing its disaster recovery plan. Due to regulatory requirements and the critical nature of patient data, they need a recovery site that can be operational within hours and fully equipped with hardware, software, and network connectivity. Which type of alternate site best fits these requirements?
- ACold Site
- BMobile Site
- CHot Site
- DWarm Site
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Hot Site
A hot site is a fully equipped and operational facility that can be used immediately or within a very short timeframe (hours) to resume business operations. It includes all necessary hardware, software, and network infrastructure, making it ideal for critical systems with low RTOs.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. A cold site is a basic facility with infrastructure but no equipment, requiring significant time to become operational.
- B. A mobile site is a portable facility, which might not always meet the 'fully equipped' and 'within hours' criteria for a large healthcare provider's critical infrastructure.
- D. A warm site has some equipment but requires additional setup and data restoration, taking longer than a hot site.
Hot Site
A fully configured and operational alternate facility that can host critical business operations immediately or within a few hours of a disaster.
- Includes all necessary hardware, software, and network connectivity.
- Requires significant upfront investment and ongoing maintenance.
- Offers the lowest Recovery Time Objective (RTO) among alternate sites.
Memory trick: Hot sites are READY, like a hot meal, instantly served.