CISSP Study Plan – Day 44 of 55 | Power Outage Recovery – BCP/DRP in Action
- Luke Ahmed
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
“Not many face actual power outages when they're studying CISSP. But it’s these real-life experiences that no doubt become an advantage!” – Luke Ahmed
Today is Day 44 of Yihenew’s CISSP study plan, focusing on Power Outage Recovery — one of the most practical real-world lessons in Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP).
This topic is a reminder that disasters don’t always involve hackers or malware. Sometimes, it’s a simple power outage that tests whether your organization — or even your study plan — can continue operating under pressure.
Key Areas Covered in the CISSP Study Plan
Business Continuity Planning (BCP):The overarching process that ensures critical business functions continue during and after a disruption.
Focus: People and process continuity
Example: Relocating staff to alternate sites, maintaining communication plans, ensuring essential services remain active.
Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP):A subset of BCP focused on IT systems and data recovery.
Focus: Restoring systems, servers, and data
Example: Using backup generators, cloud failover systems, and restoring backups after power is restored.
Power Outage Recovery Steps:
Preparation: Identify systems dependent on continuous power (e.g., data centers, HVAC, security).
Preventive Measures: Use Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), redundant generators, and surge protection.
Response: Safely shut down noncritical systems, prioritize recovery of critical ones.
Recovery: Restore full operations, verify data integrity, and document the event for lessons learned.
Metrics to Know (CISSP Essentials):
MTD (Maximum Tolerable Downtime) – How long operations can be down.
RTO (Recovery Time Objective) – Target time to restore systems.
RPO (Recovery Point Objective) – Maximum acceptable data loss in time.
CISSP Exam Tie-In
CISSP exam questions involving power failures test your understanding of resilience planning, redundancy, and risk mitigation.
Typical question angles:
If the goal is to maintain uptime — think BCP.
If the goal is to recover data or servers — think DRP.
If the goal is to calculate outage tolerance — think MTD, RTO, or RPO.
And remember: the manager’s mindset isn’t “how do we fix it?” — it’s “how do we prevent this from stopping the mission?”
Quick CISSP Practice Question
Which of the following best ensures that critical systems remain operational during a power outage?
A. Surge protectors
B. UPS and backup generators
C. Full system backups stored offsite
D. Alternative business process documentation
✅ Correct Answer: B. UPS and backup generators
Explanation:While surge protectors prevent electrical damage, UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supplies) and backup generators maintain continuous power, preventing downtime and data loss during outages.
Think Like a Manager:Technology fails — processes shouldn’t. CISSP-level professionals design systems that continue to operate even when the lights go out.
👉 Can you take the Yani Challenge?
55 days of consistent CISSP prep, tackling one domain at a time, using only the resources below:
Course
Luke's CISSP Course (2 months access, $89.98)
One-to-one Zoom sessions with Luke Ahmed (2 weeks before exam)
Books, Notes, and Practice Questions
All-In-One Study Guide by Shon Harris (Around $45)
Sybex 10th Edition (Around $52.55)
Total Cost: approxiamately $250 depending on your geographic location. Yani is located in East Africa.
📚 Study Plan (55 Days of Dedication):
- Weekdays: 2–3 hours of focused study—late nights and early mornings (5 AM).
- Weekends: 5–6 hours of deep study sessions.
Pass CISSP in first attempt within 100 questions.
Yani's biggest expense was his time, committment, consistency, and dedication! It was worth it because he passed first attempt in 100 questions using the above resources only.
If Yihenew could do it, so can you.
All the best Future CISSP. You can feel free to contact me anytime as well.
Thank you.
Luke Ahmed
