Remember MTBF
Full name: Mean Time Between Failures
Memory aid: Mean Time Between Failures: average working gap.
An average is not a prediction of the next individual failure.
Study area: MIS, risk & continuity · Batch 3
Relevant study for: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 · ISC2 CISSP 2024 outline · CompTIA SecurityX · ISC2 CC
Practice with exam flashcards →MIS, Risk & Continuity / Knowledge library
MTBF — Mean Time Between Failures
Measures average operating time between failures of repairable systems.
Why learn MTBF — Mean Time Between Failures?
Measures average operating time between failures of repairable systems.
Where it came from
An average is not a prediction of the next individual failure.
- Memory aid (a learning cue, not the expansion): Mean Time Between Failures: average working gap.
Build your understanding
Work through these exercises in order. Try the task before opening a reference.
- Without looking, expand MTBF: Mean Time Between Failures.
- Recall this memory aid: Mean Time Between Failures: average working gap.
- Explain the practical use: Measures average operating time between failures of repairable systems.
- Explain this distinction: An average is not a prediction of the next individual failure.
- Identify MTBF in a device specification, architecture diagram, or system inventory.
Documentation and sources
- NIST cybersecurity glossary (csrc.nist.gov)