9.5 Disaster Recovery (Contingency Sites)

Question 1

Define Disaster Recovery Contingency Sites

Answer 1

Location where an organisation can easily relocate following a disaster

Question 2

What are the backup site routes?

Answer 2

Another location operated by organisation

Another location contracted via company that specialise in disaster recovery services

Question 3

What are the differences between different types of backup sites?

Answer 3

Costs

Effort required to implement each

Question 4

What are the types of backup sites?

Answer 4

Cold sites
Hot sites
Warm sites

Question 5

Describe the features for each type of backup site

Answer 5

Cold sites
Most inexpensive type of backup site
Office space that has wiring, ventilation etc.
Does NOT include backed up copies of data and information
Does NOT include hardware already set up
Lack of hardware contributes to minimal start up costs of cold site
Requires additional time following disaster to have operation running at capacity close to that prior to disaster
Recovery delayed

Hot sites
Duplicate of original site of organisation
Full computer systems as well as near complete backups of user data
Real time synchronisation between two sites may be used to completely mirror data environment of original site using wide area network links and specialised software
Popular with organisations operating real time processes (financial institutions, government agencies, e-commerce providers)

Warm sites
Compromise between hot and cold sites
Moderately priced
Basic infrastructure to support business
Hardware and connectivity set up
Might have older backups available
Recovery delayed