What characterizes a cold site used for backup procedures?

In disaster recovery planning, a cold site is characterized primarily by the fact that it is a backup facility that does not have active computer or communications equipment on-site. Instead, it is essentially a physical space that can be prepared to host such equipment when necessary. The cold site is typically equipped with essential infrastructure—like power and cooling systems—but lacks the hardware until it is actually needed. This approach allows organizations to maintain a more cost-effective backup solution as they only incur operational costs associated with the space rather than maintaining a full-fledged data center with equipment.

When a disaster occurs, an organization can rapidly deploy its own equipment to the cold site, effectively preparing the facility to operate as a temporary business location. While this method can take longer to become operational compared to hot sites or warm sites that already have some equipment, it is considered suitable for organizations that can bear a longer recovery time and prefer to minimize ongoing costs associated with maintaining a fully equipped facility.