Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) — Question 923

Which of the following key performance indicators (KPIs) would BEST measure the risk of a service outage when using a Software as a Service (SaaS) vendor?

Answer options

• A. Frequency and number of new software releases
• B. Frequency of business continuity plan (BCP) testing
• C. Frequency and duration of unplanned downtime
• D. Number of IT support staff available after business hours

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The frequency and duration of unplanned downtime directly indicate the reliability of the SaaS vendor's services, making it the best KPI for assessing outage risk. While the other options provide useful information about processes and resources, they do not directly measure the occurrence or impact of outages.