Quick Answer
The answer is emergency response procedures, along with business impact analysis and backup strategies, as the three key components of a business continuity plan. Backup strategies are a core component because they define the technical means to restore critical data and systems after a disruption, specifying frequency, media rotation, and off-site storage to ensure operational recovery. On the CISSP exam, this concept tests your understanding of the BCP lifecycle, where backup strategies are often confused with disaster recovery plans; remember that BCP focuses on maintaining business functions during a crisis, while DRP handles technical restoration. A common trap is selecting “insurance policies” instead of backup strategies, as insurance is a risk transfer method, not a continuity component. Memory tip: think of the acronym BEB—Business impact analysis, Emergency response, and Backup strategies—to recall the three pillars of a BCP.
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security and risk management. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Which THREE are key components of a business continuity plan (BCP)?
Vendor risk assessments
Why wrong: Vendor assessments belong to third-party risk management, not BCP.
Backup strategies
Backups are essential for recovery.
Recovery time objectives (RTOs)
RTOs define recovery targets and are core to BCP.
System hardening standards
Why wrong: Hardening is a security baseline, not BCP-specific.
Emergency response procedures
Procedures for immediate response are critical in BCP.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Backup strategies
Backup strategies are a core component of a BCP because they ensure that critical data and systems can be restored after a disruption. Without defined backup procedures (e.g., frequency, media rotation, off-site storage), the organization cannot recover its operational state, making this a fundamental technical requirement for continuity.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Vendor risk assessments
Why it's wrong here
Vendor assessments belong to third-party risk management, not BCP.
Backup strategies
Why this is correct
Backups are essential for recovery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Recovery time objectives (RTOs)
Why this is correct
RTOs define recovery targets and are core to BCP.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
System hardening standards
Why it's wrong here
Hardening is a security baseline, not BCP-specific.
Emergency response procedures
Why this is correct
Procedures for immediate response are critical in BCP.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between BCP components (recovery-focused) and security controls (prevention-focused), so candidates mistakenly select vendor assessments or hardening standards because they sound like 'planning' activities.
Detailed technical explanation
BCP components like RTOs define the maximum acceptable downtime for a process (e.g., 4 hours for a critical database), directly driving backup strategy design (e.g., hourly incremental backups to a geographically separate site). Emergency response procedures (e.g., evacuation, fire suppression) are the immediate life-safety actions that precede BCP activation, often documented in a separate Emergency Response Plan (ERP) that feeds into the BCP. Under the hood, RTOs and backup strategies are linked via recovery point objectives (RPOs) to determine backup frequency and storage architecture (e.g., synchronous replication vs. daily tape vaulting).
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security and Risk Management — This question tests Security and Risk Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Backup strategies — Backup strategies are a core component of a BCP because they ensure that critical data and systems can be restored after a disruption. Without defined backup procedures (e.g., frequency, media rotation, off-site storage), the organization cannot recover its operational state, making this a fundamental technical requirement for continuity.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 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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