What Is Most Important When Choosing a Shared Alternate Site?
Short answer
B The organization's risk tolerance must be evaluated first to determine acceptable recovery trade-offs and resource competition risks at a shared site.
Question
Key Takeaways
Tests the governance hierarchy in BC/DR planning, where the common trap is confusing tactical feasibility (resource availability) with the overarching risk management principle (risk tolerance).
Selecting a shared alternate computing facility requires prioritizing organizational risk tolerance over resource availability. ISACA exam consensus and official guidance consistently rank risk appetite as the primary strategic driver for DR site selection.
Common mistake: Candidates frequently select D because shared sites inherently involve pooling infrastructure, but ISACA prioritizes strategic risk alignment over logistical constraints.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
The organization’s risk tolerance is the foundational driver for all disaster recovery and business continuity decisions. When evaluating a shared alternate site, leadership must determine whether the organization can accept the inherent risks of competing for resources during a concurrent outage. Risk tolerance directly shapes acceptable recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs), making it the most critical consideration before assessing logistical options.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Incident response team training is essential for executing recovery plans but does not dictate site selection criteria. The organization’s mission defines critical processes but is already factored into the Business Impact Analysis; risk tolerance translates those mission needs into actionable recovery strategies. Resource availability is a practical constraint, but ISACA emphasizes that risk appetite must govern whether an organization pursues a shared, reciprocal, or dedicated facility first.
Community Comment Notes
While a majority initially voted for D, experienced candidates and commenters highlight that shared sites introduce conflict-of-interest risks during disasters. Several users noted that this mirrors official ISACA Q&A patterns where risk tolerance consistently outranks logistical factors. The debate underscores the importance of distinguishing between what is operationally possible versus what aligns with executive governance.
Official Reference
- https://www.nist.gov/publications/contingency-planning-guide-federal-information-systems
- https://www.iso.org/standard/71600.html
- https://www.isaca.org/resources/isaca-journal/past-issues
These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
Always anchor DR and BC questions to governance and risk frameworks first. Before evaluating technical or logistical options, ask which factor dictates the organization’s willingness to accept recovery trade-offs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't resource availability the top priority for shared sites?
How does risk tolerance affect shared site selection?
Community Votes
60% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 3 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 3
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helg420 👍 3 Answered DD: remember seeing a qn in the official Q&A similar to this.
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shootnot 👍 1D- keyword is 'shared alternate location' therefore resources.
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bronay 👍 2 Answered BB. Risk tolerance
Reader comments & corrections
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