Which metrics are essential for creating a measurable SLA regarding system recovery and data loss?

In the context of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) pertaining to system recovery and data loss, the focus is on metrics that help quantify acceptable levels of downtime and data loss in the event of a failure. Among the options provided, RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is crucial because it defines the maximum acceptable amount of time that a system can be down after an incident occurs. This metric helps organizations understand how quickly they need to restore services to maintain business continuity.

While RTO outlines the time frame for recovery, it does not specifically address data loss. To gauge data loss, one would consider RPO (Recovery Point Objective), which indicates the maximum age of the data that can be lost without significantly impacting the organization. However, the question specifically asks for metrics related to system recovery and data loss, aligning closely with the concept of how long the system can be unavailable (RTO).

Thus, while RPO is essential for understanding data loss, RTO is the critical metric to establish clear expectations for restoring service, ensuring that both the business and stakeholders have a shared understanding of recovery timelines as part of the SLA.