Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
Definition
The maximum acceptable duration of downtime before a system must be restored to service. RTO drives decisions about recovery method: a short RTO may require hot standby or replication, while a longer RTO allows restoration from backup media.
Related terms
- Clean baseline
- A confirmed, verified system state that predates the compromise and is free from attacker artefacts. Establishing a clean baseline is the starting...
- Dependency mapping
- The process of identifying all services, systems, and data flows that a given system depends on, and all systems that depend on...
- Observation window
- A defined period after a system is restored during which enhanced monitoring is applied before the system is declared fully recovered. The...
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO)
- The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time. It defines how far back in time the organisation is willing to...
- Rollback plan
- A documented procedure for reverting a recovery attempt if it fails or introduces new problems. A rollback plan specifies trigger conditions, the...
Explained in
- Safe System Recovery and RestorationThe maximum acceptable duration of downtime before a system must be restored to service. RTO drives decisions about recovery method: a short RTO may require ho...