A system can be "down" due to one or more issues, such as a server failure or a break in network communications. The recovery process when one or more failures occur is tied to the maximum tolerable downtime (MTD), which is the amount of time a system or systems can be down before it is impossible for the organization to recover.

The period from failure to MTD defines the time available for recovery. The recovery time objective (RTO) is amount of time it takes to recover and make a system, application, and data available for use after an outage. The RTO of a system cannot exceed the MTD.

Answer the following question(s):

1. Assume that keeping an organization's e-commerce website up and running is mission critical and categorized as Level 1 in an organization's recovery plan. What effect do you think a mission-critical function has on the MTD?

What do you think is the impact on cost for a short RTO? Why?