Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Flashcards

What is the PRIMARY difference between a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)?

Answer: A BCP focuses on keeping business operations running, while a DRP focuses on restoring IT systems

A BCP focuses on maintaining critical business operations during a disruption, while a DRP specifically addresses the recovery of IT systems and data.

Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD) is best described as:

Answer: The longest period a business function can be unavailable before causing irreversible harm

MTD (also called Maximum Tolerable Period of Disruption) defines the upper limit of downtime beyond which the organization faces unacceptable consequences.

Which disaster recovery strategy provides the LOWEST recovery time but typically carries the HIGHEST cost?

Answer: Hot site

A hot site is fully operational with up-to-date systems and data, enabling the fastest recovery, but requires significant ongoing investment to maintain.

During a tabletop exercise, participants are:

Answer: Discussing and walking through disaster scenarios verbally without system activation

A tabletop exercise is a discussion-based simulation where key personnel walk through disaster scenarios verbally to identify gaps without activating actual recovery systems.

What is the role of a cold site in a disaster recovery strategy?

Answer: A facility with basic infrastructure such as power and cooling, but no pre-installed IT equipment

A cold site provides basic facilities (space, power, cooling) but has no pre-installed equipment, requiring significant setup time before operations can resume.

Which BC/DR test type carries the GREATEST risk of causing unplanned downtime?

Answer: Full interruption test

A full interruption test shuts down primary systems and fully activates recovery procedures, carrying the highest risk of real outages if the recovery environment fails.

A reciprocal agreement for disaster recovery means:

Answer: Two organizations agree to host each other's operations in the event of a disaster

A reciprocal agreement is an arrangement between two organizations to provide backup processing capacity for each other if one experiences a disaster.