Which recovery approach is designed to minimize downtime by having live data and systems ready at a separate location?

• A. Cold site
• B. Warm site
• C. Disaster Recovery Plan
• D. Hot site

Answer: (D)

A hot site is designed to minimize downtime by keeping live data and fully provisioned systems at a separate location. This facility mirrors the production environment and is kept up-to-date through real-time or near real-time data replication, with systems ready to take over immediately. Because everything is already installed and synchronized, failover can be performed quickly, often with automated processes, so operations resume with very little interruption. In contrast, a warm site has some readiness but may require bringing systems online and restoring data, and a cold site provides space without active equipment, leading to longer recovery times. A Disaster Recovery Plan is the documented strategy, not the actual location or readiness of systems. Hot site is the correct concept for minimizing downtime with live data at a separate location.