- A
Hot site
Hot sites are fully operational and can be activated quickly.
- B
Reciprocal agreement
Why wrong: Reciprocal agreements may have delays depending on partner availability.
- C
Warm site
Why wrong: Warm sites require setup time, typically hours to days.
- D
Cloud DR with pre-configured instances
Cloud DR can spin up instances quickly, achieving low RTO.
- E
Cold site
Why wrong: Cold sites have long RTOs (days/weeks).
Question 910 of 1,000
CISSP Security Operations Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security operations. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is selecting a disaster recovery strategy for a mission-critical application. Which TWO of the following strategies provide the shortest recovery time objective (RTO)?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Hot site
A hot site is a fully configured, operational data center with all hardware, software, and live data replication, enabling near-instantaneous failover. This provides the shortest RTO, often measured in minutes or seconds, because no setup or configuration is required after a disaster is declared.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Hot site
Why this is correct
Hot sites are fully operational and can be activated quickly.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Reciprocal agreement
Why it's wrong here
Reciprocal agreements may have delays depending on partner availability.
- ✗
Warm site
Why it's wrong here
Warm sites require setup time, typically hours to days.
- ✓
Cloud DR with pre-configured instances
Why this is correct
Cloud DR can spin up instances quickly, achieving low RTO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Cold site
Why it's wrong here
Cold sites have long RTOs (days/weeks).
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'warm site' with 'hot site' because both have pre-installed hardware, but warm sites lack current data and require manual restoration, leading to a longer RTO than a hot site.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Hot sites achieve low RTO through synchronous or asynchronous data replication (e.g., using storage array-based replication like EMC SRDF or host-based replication with Oracle Data Guard) and pre-staged application configurations. In real-world scenarios, organizations often combine hot sites with automated orchestration tools (e.g., VMware Site Recovery Manager) to script failover sequences, reducing RTO further. However, hot sites are the most expensive due to dedicated hardware and continuous replication costs.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Security Operations — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CISSP question test?
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Hot site — A hot site is a fully configured, operational data center with all hardware, software, and live data replication, enabling near-instantaneous failover. This provides the shortest RTO, often measured in minutes or seconds, because no setup or configuration is required after a disaster is declared.
What should I do if I get this CISSP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This CISSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CISSP exam.
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