Availability

Definition:

Availability in cybersecurity refers to ensuring that systems, applications, and data are accessible to authorized users when needed. It is one of the core principles of information security, along with confidentiality and integrity.

Use Cases:

• Applied in disaster recovery planning to ensure that critical systems remain operational during and after an incident.
• Used in service level agreements (SLAs) to guarantee uptime for cloud-based services.
  
  

Related Terms:

• Uptime
• Redundancy
• Disaster Recovery
  
  

Questions and Answers:

• What factors affect system availability?
  Factors include hardware reliability, network uptime, redundant systems, and the effectiveness of backup and recovery processes.
  
  
• How can organizations improve system availability?
  Organizations can improve availability by implementing failover systems, redundant hardware, and regular maintenance to prevent downtime.
  
  
• What role does availability play in the CIA triad?
  Availability is a key element of the CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) triad, ensuring that authorized users can access data and systems when needed.  When all three standards are met, an organization is considered to have a strong security posture and will be able to better handle threat incidents.