Maximum Allowable Downtime

The absolute maximum time in which a system can be unavailable without significant ramifications to the Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs), Mission Essential functions (MEFs), or Essential Supporting Activities (ESAs). Maximum allowable downtime should also include the time it would take to restore a system to full operation once the backup has been restored, including the time it would take to recreate any lost data and test the restored data for integrity. Maximum allowable downtime can be measured in minutes, hours, days, or weeks.