What best describes a cold site in disaster recovery?

A cold site in disaster recovery refers to a location that is empty except for core infrastructure, such as basic power, cooling, and network connectivity. This site is not equipped with the necessary servers and technology to immediately take over business operations in the event of a disaster. Instead, a cold site serves as a backup facility that organizations can utilize to set up their operations after a disaster occurs. The full setup of systems and data restoration must take place before the site can become operational.

The primary characteristic that distinguishes a cold site is its lack of pre-installed hardware, which means that organizations must bring in all the necessary equipment and restore data from backups to resume full operations. This typically involves more time and effort, making it ideal for organizations that prioritize cost over recovery speed.

In contrast, a fully equipped site would be referred to as a hot site, which is ready to go immediately. An operational site within a few hours suggests a warm site, which has some equipment and may have data replication in place, but is not as fully remote and prepared as a hot site. Online and offline backups pertain to data availability rather than the physical nature of the disaster recovery site itself.