Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Flashcards

A DR test reveals the restored database is missing three hours of transactions. Which control would most directly have prevented this gap?

Answer: Implementing continuous log shipping or synchronous replication to reduce the RPO

Continuous log shipping or synchronous replication keeps the secondary database nearly current, shrinking the recovery point to seconds rather than hours.

Under the NIST SP 800-34 framework, which phase immediately follows the BCP development phase?

Answer: Plan testing, training, and exercises

NIST SP 800-34 sequences BCP phases as: policy → BIA → preventive controls → recovery strategies → plan development → testing/training/exercises → maintenance.

What distinguishes a 'parallel test' from a 'full interruption test' in DR testing?

Answer: In a parallel test both primary and recovery systems run simultaneously; a full interruption test shuts down the primary

A parallel test activates the DR site alongside the live primary with no risk of outage, while a full interruption test actually takes the primary offline to prove the DR site can carry production alone.

Which of the following best describes a 'reciprocal agreement' as a business continuity strategy?

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

A reciprocal agreement is an informal or formal arrangement between organizations to provide mutual recovery space and resources, reducing individual DR costs.

An incident manager is evaluating supply chain risks for the BCP. Which factor is MOST critical to assess for single-source suppliers?

Answer: The supplier's geographic concentration and its vulnerability to the same disaster scenarios as the organization

If a single-source supplier is in the same disaster zone, a regional event could eliminate both the organization and its sole supplier simultaneously.

In a crisis communications plan, what is the primary role of a designated spokesperson?

Answer: To serve as the single, authoritative voice to external stakeholders, media, and the public

A single spokesperson prevents conflicting messages, controls information flow, and maintains organizational credibility with external audiences during a crisis.

Which metric measures the average time required to restore a failed system or component to full operation?

Answer: Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)

MTTR is the historical average time to repair or restore a system, used to set realistic RTOs and assess team and vendor performance.