Definition: Deciduous is a designation indicating a plant sheds its foliage at the end of the growing season. The term is used primarily in reference to trees and shrubs, in contrast with those that are evergreen..
A cold site is a similar type of disaster recovery service that provides office space, but the customer provides and installs all the equipment needed to continue operations. A cold site is less expensive, but it takes longer to get an enterprise in full operation after the disaster. Typically, a business has an annual contract with a company that offers hot and cold site services with a monthly service charge.
The business using a cold site must also provide any needed hardware and software. The allowance for a cold site should be detailed in an established disaster recovery plan. The business should educate employees about the plan, as well as how a cold site operates. It can take a few days to prepare a cold site since computer systems must be installed.