CISSP Security Operations Practice Question
An organization is planning its disaster recovery strategy. Which THREE options are considered recovery site types? (Select THREE.)
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
Hot, warm, and cold sites are standard DR site types. Reciprocal agreements and cloud DR are strategies but not physical site types.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cloud DR
Why it's wrong here
Cloud DR refers to leveraging cloud computing services to back up data and applications, and to recover operations following a disaster. While it provides a flexible and scalable methodology for disaster Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) management, it is not a distinct physical site classification like a hot or cold site. Instead, it describes the environment or strategy used for recovery, which could involve various underlying physical infrastructure models.
- ✓
Hot site
Why this is correct
A hot site is a fully operational, geographically separate duplicate of the primary data center, equipped with all necessary hardware, software, and up-to-date data. It is designed to allow critical business operations to resume almost instantaneously, minimizing both Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) to near zero. This high level of readiness makes it the most expensive but also the most resilient DR site option.
- ✓
Cold site
Why this is correct
A cold site is an empty facility that provides basic infrastructure such as power, cooling, and network connectivity, but lacks any pre-installed hardware, software, or data. In the event of a disaster, the organization must procure, install, and configure all necessary equipment, and then restore data, which results in a significantly longer Recovery Time Objective (RTO). This option is the least expensive but offers the slowest recovery.
- ✓
Warm site
Why this is correct
A warm site is a partially equipped facility that includes some hardware, network infrastructure, and possibly some pre-loaded software, but does not contain current data or all necessary applications. While it offers a faster recovery than a cold site, it still requires significant effort to install remaining equipment, load current data, and configure systems before full operations can resume. This approach balances cost and recovery speed, offering a moderate RTO.
- ✗
Reciprocal agreement
Why it's wrong here
A reciprocal agreement is a mutual contract between two organizations to provide backup processing capabilities or office space to each other in the event of a disaster. This arrangement is a contractual strategy for resource sharing, not a dedicated, pre-established physical recovery site owned or leased by the organization itself. Its effectiveness relies on the availability of the partner's resources and can be complex to manage, making it unsuitable as a standalone site type.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.