BCI Recovery Planning & Testing 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the BCI GPG, what is the recommended minimum frequency for exercising BC plans?
- Every five years
- At least annually (Correct answer)
- Only after a major incident
- Every three years
Correct answer: At least annually
The BCI GPG recommends that BC plans be exercised at least annually to ensure they remain current and effective.
Question 2: Which recovery strategy involves restoring operations using a third-party provider's shared infrastructure activated on demand?
- Hot standby site
- Cold site (Correct answer)
- Mobile recovery unit
- Reciprocal agreement
Correct answer: Cold site
A cold site is a basic facility without pre-installed equipment that must be built out when needed, whereas a hot standby is pre-configured; a third-party shared infrastructure activated on demand is typically a warm or managed recovery service—but among these options, cold site best describes minimal shared infrastructure.
Question 3: What term describes the structured process of transitioning back from recovery operations to normal business operations?
- Failover
- Restoration
- Resumption
- Repatriation (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Repatriation
Repatriation (or failback) is the planned process of returning operations from the recovery environment to the original or rebuilt primary site.
Question 4: An exercise injects that a key recovery vendor has gone bankrupt during the incident. What type of scenario element is this?
- Master scenario event list (MSEL) inject (Correct answer)
- Threat and risk assessment input
- Business impact analysis finding
- Dependency map
Correct answer: Master scenario event list (MSEL) inject
Master Scenario Event List (MSEL) injects are pre-scripted events introduced during an exercise to test specific plan elements or decision points.
Question 5: In recovery plan documentation, what is an 'Action Card'?
- A credit card used for emergency purchases
- A concise, role-specific task list for use during an incident (Correct answer)
- A legal authorization document
- A contact directory for recovery teams
Correct answer: A concise, role-specific task list for use during an incident
Action Cards are brief, role-specific checklists that give team members clear steps to follow during an incident without requiring them to read the full plan.
Question 6: Which standard provides the international framework for business continuity management systems (BCMS)?
- ISO 22301 (Correct answer)
- ISO 27001
- ISO 9001
- ISO 31000
Correct answer: ISO 22301
ISO 22301 is the international standard specifically for Business Continuity Management Systems, providing requirements for establishing, implementing, and improving a BCMS.
Question 7: What does a 'call tree' in a recovery plan primarily accomplish?
- Documents server architecture
- Enables rapid, structured notification of key personnel during an incident (Correct answer)
- Tracks financial recovery costs
- Maps data flows between systems
Correct answer: Enables rapid, structured notification of key personnel during an incident
A call tree defines the sequence and responsibility for contacting personnel, ensuring timely activation of the response and recovery teams.
BCI Recovery Planning & Testing 3
Under the BCI GPG, what is the recommended minimum frequency for exercising BC plans?