Which Low-Cost Standby Site Includes Hardware and Internet?

SY0-701 By islever Editorial Last updated

Short answer

D Warm site

Question

Which of the following would be the best solution to deploy a low-cost standby site that includes hardware and internet access?
  1. Recovery site
  2. Cold site
  3. Hot site
  4. Warm site Correct Answer

Key Takeaways

The question tests precise matching of DR site definitions to scenario constraints, with the primary trap being the overemphasis on 'low-cost' that leads candidates to ignore the mandatory inclusion of hardware and internet.

This question evaluates understanding of disaster recovery site tiers, emphasizing how cost and pre-existing infrastructure dictate the appropriate solution. The community consensus supports the warm site, as it balances affordability with ready-to-use hardware and network connectivity.

Common mistake: Candidates frequently select 'Cold site' due to the 'low-cost' descriptor, incorrectly assuming cold sites come equipped with servers and active internet connections, when they strictly provide only physical space and basic utilities.

Expert Analysis

Understanding DR Site Tiers

Disaster recovery planning relies on three primary site classifications, each balancing cost, recovery time objective (RTO), and recovery point objective (RPO):

  • Hot Site: Fully mirrored environment with real-time data synchronization, immediate failover capability, and the highest operational cost.
  • Warm Site: Partially configured facility containing pre-installed hardware, network infrastructure, and internet access. Data must be restored from backups, resulting in a moderate RTO and mid-range cost.
  • Cold Site: Bare-bones facility offering only physical space, power, cooling, and sometimes basic cabling. It lacks pre-installed hardware and active connectivity, making it the cheapest option but requiring significant time to become operational.

Why Option D is Correct

The prompt explicitly requires a low-cost standby location that includes hardware and internet access. A warm site perfectly matches these parameters. As noted in community discussions, warm sites are designed for organizations needing faster recovery than a cold site offers without paying the premium for a hot site. They ship with necessary IT equipment and network ports, allowing restoration within hours to days.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect

Option B (Cold site) is the most frequent distractor. While it is undeniably the lowest-cost option, standard CompTIA definitions state that cold sites do not include pre-installed hardware or active internet connections. Candidates who select this overlook the phrase "includes hardware," mistakenly equating "basic infrastructure" with fully equipped IT environments. Several community comments incorrectly redefine cold sites as having hardware and internet, which contradicts official training materials.

Option C (Hot site) provides immediate failover but fails the "low-cost" constraint due to its continuous mirroring and high maintenance expenses. Option A (Recovery site) is a generic umbrella term rather than a specific DR tier, making it too vague for certification exams.

Official Reference

  • NIST Special Publication 800-34 Rev. 1: Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems
  • ISO/IEC 22301:2019 Security and resilience — Business continuity management systems — Requirements

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When answering DR site questions, always map every keyword in the stem directly to standard definitions. If the scenario mentions existing hardware, networks, or partial data, automatically rule out cold sites. Prioritize the exact wording over general assumptions about cost to avoid common traps.

Community Votes

D
54%
B
46%

54% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 12 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 12

  1. jacobtriestech 👍 9 Answered D
    A warm site is a cost-effective solution that provides a partially configured IT environment. It includes hardware, software, and network connections, but it may require some additional setup and configuration to become fully operational. This makes it ideal for organizations that need a quick recovery time but don't require immediate failover capabilities.
  2. dC_Furious 👍 6 Answered D
    The answer is D, warm site. Cold site doesn't include hardware and rarley even has internet acess
  3. Fourgehan 👍 4 Answered B
    A cold site is a type of standby site that provides the most basic infrastructure for disaster recovery. It typically includes: Hardware: Basic hardware (e.g., servers, storage) that can be used to set up a recovery environment. Internet access: Connectivity to allow data recovery or remote work if necessary. Low cost: Cold sites are the least expensive type of recovery site because they do not come with pre-installed or running systems and are not actively maintained. They are only ready to be set up once a disaster occurs, requiring more time to get operational compared to more expensive options like hot sites or warm sites
  4. jbmac 👍 3 Answered B
    The correct answer is: B. Cold site Explanation: A cold site is a low-cost standby site that provides the basic infrastructure required to restore operations, such as hardware and internet access, but does not have any pre-installed systems or real-time data backups. It is essentially a blank space that can be made operational in the event of a disaster. Since it does not require ongoing maintenance or the costs associated with keeping systems running, it is the most cost-effective option for a standby site.
  5. Eracle 👍 3 Answered B
    I think the correct answer is B. The Cold site is the best option if we consider the low-cost requirement. Warm site is more expensive than Cold site. Also, Cold site have a internet connection, like warm site
Show 7 more comments
  1. db4dd89 👍 2 Answered B
    B. Cold site A cold site is a low-cost standby site that includes basic infrastructure such as power, cooling, physical space, and internet access, but does not include pre-installed hardware or actively running systems. It is the most cost-effective option for disaster recovery, though it requires more time to become operational compared to hot or warm sites.
  2. 9ef4a35 👍 2
    A cold site provides the necessary infrastructure (hardware and internet access) at a low cost, making it the best solution for this scenario
  3. 41c27e6 👍 2 Answered B
    If "low cost" is emphasized it should be cold site.
  4. TonyStarChillingFromHeaven 👍 1 Answered B
    COLD - A backup facility that provides the necessary infrastructure, like space, power, and network connectivity, but does not include preinstalled hardware or active internet connections.
  5. test_arrow 👍 1 Answered D
    Its a warm site - cold site is just a room with lights if they need hardware and internet access as well then a cold site would not meet the criteria
  6. MarysSon 👍 1 Answered D
    The key word is standby. The backup site must be fully equipped and operational within a few hours or a day. It's cost is lower than a hot site.
  7. 5047e6e 👍 1 Answered C
    cold site

Reader comments & corrections

No reader corrections yet — spotted an error or have a note? Share it below.

Log in to comment, report an error, or add a note about this question.

CCTV and Surveillance Signs as Security Controls

S-grade

When Should an Engineer Decommission a Network Device?

S-grade

Which Controls Secure Remote Access to Sensitive PHI Applications?

S-grade

Which Zero Trust Component Belongs to the Data Plane?

S-grade

Practice All SY0-701 Questions

Access 100 questions with complete answers and detailed explanations.

View Full SY0-701 Practice Test →

← Back to SY0-701 Study Guide