Guide to Recovery Strategies In Business Continuity Planning (CISSP)

Importance:
The importance of recovery strategies in business continuity planning cannot be overstated. They are essential in ensuring that businesses can quickly bounce back after an unforeseen disruption or catastrophe. The failure to have a well-defined recovery strategy can lead to significant financial losses, harm to the organization’s reputation, and potentially, the failure of the business.

What It Is:
Recovery strategies are backup plans that an organization implements to restore its critical business operations during a disruption or disaster. These strategies include preventive measures to avoid disasters, detection measures to identify points of interruption, and corrective measures to recover the disrupted functions.

How It Works:
Recovery strategies work by identifying critical business functions and elements which are crucial for the organization's operation. Following this, detailed plans and procedures are developed to ensure the recovery of these critical functions within a stipulated time, post any disruptive event or disaster. The key components include recovery point objective (RPO), recovery time objective (RTO), and maximum tolerable downtime (MTD).

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Recovery Strategies:
Preparation is key when tackling questions on recovery strategies. Firstly, understand the components thoroughly. For example, understand the difference between RTO, RPO, and MTD. Additionally, be aware of the possible types of recovery strategies, such as cold sites, warm sites, and hot sites. Remember that you may have to select the most appropriate recovery strategy for a given scenario in the exam. Pay attention to the hints in the scenario, such as urgency, sensitivity of data, and available resources. Finally, practice as much as possible. This isn't a topic you can cram - it's all about understanding the principles and applying them to a variety of scenarios.