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CP-6

CP-6: Alternate Storage Site

The organization:

CP-6a.: Establishes an alternate storage site including necessary agreements to permit the storage and retrieval of information system backup information; and

CP-6b.: Ensures that the alternate storage site provides information security safeguards equivalent to that of the primary site.

Supplemental

Alternate storage sites are sites that are geographically distinct from primary storage sites. An alternate storage site maintains duplicate copies of information and data in the event that the primary storage site is not available. Items covered by alternate storage site agreements include, for example, environmental conditions at alternate sites, access rules, physical and environmental protection requirements, and coordination of delivery/retrieval of backup media. Alternate storage sites reflect the requirements in contingency plans so that organizations can maintain essential missions/business functions despite disruption, compromise, or failure in organizational information systems.

CIA Levels
Confidentiality	unknown
Integrity	unknown
Availability	moderate

Overlays
None

Related Controls

The controls below (if any) were marked by NIST as being related to CP-6.

Control	Description
CP-2	The organization: CP-2a.: Develops a contingency plan for the information system that: CP-2a.1.: Identifies essential missions and business functions and associated contingency requirements; CP-2a.2.: Provides recovery objectives, restoration priorities, and metrics; CP-2a.3.: Addresses contingency roles, responsibilities, assigned individuals with contact information; CP-2a.4.: Addresses maintaining essential missions and business functions despite an information system disruption, compromise, or failure; CP-2a.5.: Addresses eventual, full information system restoration without deterioration of the security safeguards originally planned and implemented; and CP-2a.6.: Is reviewed and approved by [Assignment: organization-defined personnel or roles]; CP-2b.: Distributes copies of the contingency plan to [Assignment: organization-defined key contingency personnel (identified by name and/or by role) and organizational elements]; CP-2c.: Coordinates contingency planning activities with incident handling activities; CP-2d.: Reviews the contingency plan for the information system [Assignment: organization-defined frequency]; CP-2e.: Updates the contingency plan to address changes to the organization, information system, or environment of operation and problems encountered during contingency plan implementation, execution, or testing; CP-2f.: Communicates contingency plan changes to [Assignment: organization-defined key contingency personnel (identified by name and/or by role) and organizational elements]; and CP-2g.: Protects the contingency plan from unauthorized disclosure and modification.
CP-7	The organization: CP-7a.: Establishes an alternate processing site including necessary agreements to permit the transfer and resumption of [Assignment: organization-defined information system operations] for essential missions/business functions within [Assignment: organization-defined time period consistent with recovery time and recovery point objectives] when the primary processing capabilities are unavailable; CP-7b.: Ensures that equipment and supplies required to transfer and resume operations are available at the alternate processing site or contracts are in place to support delivery to the site within the organization-defined time period for transfer/resumption; and CP-7c.: Ensures that the alternate processing site provides information security safeguards equivalent to those of the primary site.
CP-9	The organization: CP-9a.: Conducts backups of user-level information contained in the information system [Assignment: organization-defined frequency consistent with recovery time and recovery point objectives]; CP-9b.: Conducts backups of system-level information contained in the information system [Assignment: organization-defined frequency consistent with recovery time and recovery point objectives]; CP-9c.: Conducts backups of information system documentation including security-related documentation [Assignment: organization-defined frequency consistent with recovery time and recovery point objectives]; and CP-9d.: Protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of backup information at storage locations.
CP-10	The organization provides for the recovery and reconstitution of the information system to a known state after a disruption, compromise, or failure.
MP-4	The organization: MP-4a.: Physically controls and securely stores [Assignment: organization-defined types of digital and/or non-digital media] within [Assignment: organization-defined controlled areas]; and MP-4b.: Protects information system media until the media are destroyed or sanitized using approved equipment, techniques, and procedures.

Enhancements

The controls below (if any) add on to the requirements of CP-6.

Control	Description
CP-6 (1)	The organization identifies an alternate storage site that is separated from the primary storage site to reduce susceptibility to the same threats.
CP-6 (2)	The organization configures the alternate storage site to facilitate recovery operations in accordance with recovery time and recovery point objectives.
CP-6 (3)	The organization identifies potential accessibility problems to the alternate storage site in the event of an area-wide disruption or disaster and outlines explicit mitigation actions.

Related CCIs

The CCIs below are tied to CP-6.

CCI	Definition
CCI-000505	The organization establishes an alternate storage site including necessary agreements to permit the storage and retrieval of information system backup information.
CCI-002836	The organization ensures that the alternate storage site provides information security safeguards equivalent to that of the primary site.