What is the characteristic of a cold site?

A cold site is characterized as an empty facility that has utilities established and ready for use but lacks the necessary equipment and technology to be immediately operational. This means that while the location is available, it would require significant time and effort to set up and configure the required IT infrastructure and equipment before it can effectively be used to resume operations following a disaster or disruption.

The cold site is often utilized as a backup option that allows businesses to resume operations without the immediate expenses associated with maintaining a fully operational site. When compared to a hot site, which is fully functional and ready for immediate use, the cold site requires additional steps to become operational, thereby making it a less expensive option for disaster recovery planning.

The other choices imply an operational state or completeness that is not characteristic of a cold site. For example, a fully operational facility suggests that all necessary components for immediate functioning are in place, and a complete IT infrastructure indicates that all technology is ready to work without needing further setup, both of which apply to hot sites rather than cold sites.