An approach to alternate offsite facilities is to establish a reciprocal agreement. Which of the following describes the pros and cons of a reciprocal agreement?

A.
It is fully configured and ready to operate within a few hours, but is the most expensive of the offsite choices.

B.
It is an inexpensive option, but it takes the most time and effort to get up and running after a disaster.

C.
It is a good alternative for companies that depend upon proprietary software, but annual testing is not usually available.

D.
It is the cheapest of the offsite choices, but mixing operations could introduce many security issues.

Explanation:
D: A reciprocal agreement, also referred to as mutual aid, means that company A agrees to allow company B to use its facilities if company B is hit by a disaster, and vice versa.
This is a cheaper way to go than the other offsite choices, but it is not always the best choice. Most environments are maxed out pertaining to the use of facility space, resources, and
computing capability. To allow another company to come in and work out of the same shop could prove to be detrimental to both companies. The stress of two companies working in
the same environment could cause tremendous levels of tension. If it did work out, it would only provide a short-term solution. Configuration management could be a nightmare, and
the mixing of operations could introduce many security issues. Reciprocal agreements have been known to work well in specific businesses, such as newspaper printing. These
businesses require very specific technology and equipment that will not be available through any subscription service. For most other organizations, they are generally, at best, a
secondary option for disaster protection.
A is incorrect because a hot sitenot a reciprocal agreementis fully configured and ready to operate within a few hours. A hot site is also the most expensive offsite option. The
only missing resources from a hot site are usually the data, which will be retrieved from a backup site, and the people who will be processing the data. The equipment and system
software must be compatible with the data being restored from the main site and must not cause any negative interoperability issues. Hot sites are a good choice for a company that
needs to ensure a site will be available for it as soon as possible.
B is incorrect because a cold site is an inexpensive offsite option, but it takes the most time and effort to actually get up and functioning right after a disaster. With cold sites the
vendor supplies the basic environment, electrical wiring, air conditioning, plumbing, and flooring, but none of the equipment or additional services. It may take weeks to get the site
activated and ready for work.
C is incorrect because a warm site is a good alternative for companies that depend upon proprietary software. A warm site is equipped with some equipment, but not the actual
computers. It is a better choice than a reciprocal agreement or hot site for a company that depends upon proprietary and unusual hardware and software, because they will bring their
own hardware and software with them to the site after a disaster hits. The disadvantage of using a warm site is that the vendors’ contracts do not usually include annual testing, which
helps ensure that the company can return to an operating state within hours.