(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

What type of testing activates the disaster recovery environment but does not switch operations there?

1. Parallel tests

2. Full Interruption tests

3. Failover tests

4. Simulation tests

The correct answer is: Parallel tests

The correct answer pertains to the type of testing that activates the disaster recovery environment without actually transitioning business operations to that environment. This approach allows organizations to assess the readiness of their disaster recovery systems while maintaining normal operations in the primary environment. In parallel tests, the disaster recovery systems are activated concurrently with the primary operations, providing the opportunity to evaluate the recovery capabilities. This method ensures that critical systems can respond to incidents, allowing organizations to validate their processes, procedures, and personnel without disrupting ongoing business activities. Looking at other options: Full interruption tests require stopping operations in the primary environment and fully switching to the disaster recovery site, which can be disruptive. Failover tests typically involve transitioning to the backup system, thereby interrupting business processes. Simulation tests involve conducting a hypothetical scenario to test response plans without activating the actual recovery environment, but they do not verify the systems or resources themselves in real-time like parallel tests do. This focused approach in parallel testing ensures a risk-mitigated methodology for validating disaster recovery plans before an actual event necessitates their use.