What aspect of a business continuity plan involves defining the speed and state of system recovery?

The aspect of a business continuity plan that involves defining the speed and state of system recovery is best represented by the Recovery Time Objective (RTO). RTO refers to the maximum allowable downtime after a disaster or disruption. It outlines the targeted duration within which systems, applications, or processes must be restored to operation to prevent unacceptable consequences. This metric helps organizations prioritize recovery strategies and allocate resources effectively to ensure that they can return to normal operations within the designated time frame.

While Recovery Service Level (RSL) may reflect the overall expectations for recovery services, it does not specifically address the timing and effectiveness of recovery in the same way RTO does. Recovery effectiveness refers more broadly to how well recovery activities achieve their objectives but does not directly quantify the timeframe for recovery. Recovery Point Objective (RPO) focuses on data loss and defines the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time, rather than how quickly systems need to be up and running.