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| business continuity and disaster recovery | |
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A backup site can be another location operated by the business, or contracted via a company that specializes in disaster recovery services. In some cases, a business will have an agreement with a second business to operate a joint disaster recovery facility. A ''Disaster Recovery Center'' is a backup facility used in case of a disaster. Disaster recovery in Information Technology is the ability of an infrastructure to restart operations after a disaster. Disaster recovery is used both in the context of Data Loss prevention and Data Recovery . There are three types of backup sites, including cold sites, warm sites, and hot sites. The differences between the types are determined by the costs and effort required to implement each. COLD SITES A cold site is the most inexpensive type of backup site for a business to operate. It does not include backed up copies of data and information from the original location of the business, nor does it include hardware already set up. The lack of hardware contributes to the minimal startup costs of the cold site, but requires additional time following the disaster to have the operation running at a capacity close to that prior to the disaster. WARM SITES A warm site is a location where the business can relocate to after the disaster that is already stocked with computer hardware similar to that of the original site, but does not contain backed up copies of data and information. HOT SITES A hot site is a duplicate of the original site of the business, with full computer systems as well as near-complete backups of user data. Following a disaster, the hot site exists so that the business can relocate with minimal losses to normal operations. Ideally, a hot site will be up and running within a matter of hours. This type of backup site is the most expensive to operate. Hot sites are popular with Stock Exchange s and other Financial Institutions who may need to evacuate due to potential Bomb Threats and must resume normal operations as soon as possible. CHOOSING Choosing the type is mainly decided by a company's cost vs. benefit strategy. Hot sites are traditionally more expensive than cold sites since much of the equipment the company needs has already been purchased and thus the operational costs are higher. However if the same company loses a substantial amount of revenue for each day they are inactive then it may be worth the cost. Another advantage of a hot site is that it can be used for operations prior to a disaster happening. The advantages of a cold site are simple--cost. It requires much fewer resources to operate a cold site because no equipment has been bought prior to the disaster. The downside with a cold site is the potential cost that must be incurred in order to make the cold site effective. The costs of purchasing equipment on very short notice may be higher and the disaster may make the equipment difficult to obtain. SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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