What is a cold site?

A cold site refers to a disaster recovery solution that provides a facility without any computer equipment or critical infrastructure readily available for immediate use. In this scenario, while a cold site has the physical space and utilities such as power and cooling, it lacks the necessary hardware and data to bring operations back online quickly after a disaster. Organizations using a cold site must transport equipment and data to the facility, which can result in a prolonged downtime.

In contrast to other options, a cold site does not have the complete setup necessary for immediate operations. For instance, a site with complete computer equipment ready for use would be classified as a hot site, and a fully operational data center implies that it has all necessary operational components already in place. A temporary office with basic amenities would not meet the criteria specific to disaster recovery sites, making the concept of a cold site distinctly about the absence of pre-installed equipment.