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Recovery Time Objective

What is Recovery Time Objective?

The maximum acceptable duration for restoring a business function or IT system after a disruption before unacceptable consequences occur.

Business Continuity

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as recovery time objective. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on recovery time objective

Requirements naming recovery time objective across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Where determined by the Commission to be a critical financial market or a critical swap data repository, maintain a recovery plan and resources sufficient to achieve a same day recovery time objective even in a wide scale disruption.

CFTC-SS-25 · Same Day Recovery Time Objective for Critical Entities
FedRAMP High2 controls

Alternate Processing Site | Priority of Service. Develop alternate processing site agreements that contain priority-of-service provisions in accordance with availability requirements (including recovery time objectives)

CP-7(3) · Alternate Processing Site | Priority of Service. Develop alternate processing site agreements that contain priority-of-service provisions in accordance with availability requirements (including recovery time objectives)

Alternate Processing Site | Priority of Service. Develop alternate processing site agreements that contain priority-of-service provisions in accordance with availability requirements (including recovery time objectives)

CP-7(3) · Alternate Processing Site | Priority of Service. Develop alternate processing site agreements that contain priority-of-service provisions in accordance with availability requirements (including recovery time objectives)

Alternate Processing Site | Priority of Service. Develop alternate processing site agreements that contain priority-of-service provisions in accordance with availability requirements (including recovery time objectives)

CP-7(3) · Alternate Processing Site | Priority of Service. Develop alternate processing site agreements that contain priority-of-service provisions in accordance with availability requirements (including recovery time objectives)

Alternate Processing Site | Priority of Service. Develop alternate processing site agreements that contain priority-of-service provisions in accordance with availability requirements (including recovery time objectives)

CP-7(3) · Alternate Processing Site | Priority of Service. Develop alternate processing site agreements that contain priority-of-service provisions in accordance with availability requirements (including recovery time objectives)
ISO 223171 control

Establish RTO for each prioritized activity, ensuring recovery within the MTPD with sufficient buffer.

ISO22317-5.4 · Recovery Time Objective (RTO)

Questions people ask about recovery time objective

What is Recovery Time Objective?
The maximum acceptable duration for restoring a business function or IT system after a disruption before unacceptable consequences occur.
Why is Recovery Time Objective important for compliance?
Recovery Time Objective is a key concept in Business Continuity. Understanding recovery time objective helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Recovery Time Objective?
Recovery Time Objective appears in the requirement text of CFTC System Safeguards (17 CFR 37, 38, 39, 49), FedRAMP High, FedRAMP Moderate, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 MODERATE, NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5.1 HIGH. Across these standards we have identified 12 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Recovery Time Objective?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how recovery time objective applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Recovery Time Objective applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.