SSCP Systems Security Certified PractitionerIncident Response and RecoveryMedium
A financial institution is developing its Business Continuity Plan (BCP). A key concern is ensuring the availability of critical services in the event of a regional power outage lasting several days. Which BCP strategy would be most effective for maintaining operational capability during such an extended disruption?
- AEstablishing a cold site with necessary hardware and network infrastructure.
- BImplementing a robust data backup and restoration schedule.
- CDeveloping a detailed incident response plan for power outages.
- DUtilizing a geographically distant hot site with real-time data replication.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Utilizing a geographically distant hot site with real-time data replication.
A hot site with real-time data replication provides immediate failover capabilities for critical services, making it the most effective solution for maintaining operational capability during an extended regional outage.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. A cold site is a shell facility that requires significant time and effort to set up and configure, making it unsuitable for maintaining immediate operational capability.
- B. Backup and restoration are part of disaster recovery, but a full restoration from backups takes time and doesn't guarantee continuous operations during a multi-day outage.
- C. An incident response plan addresses the immediate handling of an outage, but a BCP strategy focuses on maintaining operations over the long term, which a hot site facilitates.
Hot Site
A fully equipped off-site data center that mirrors the primary site, including hardware, software, and real-time data, allowing for immediate failover in a disaster.
- Provides the fastest recovery time.
- Most expensive BCP solution.
- Requires real-time data replication and synchronization.
Memory trick: Hot, Warm, Cold: how fast can you get back in the game?