Backup system that's not running and requires manual setup to activate. Like spare equipment in storage that needs installation before use.
Small businesses use cold standby backups stored offsite that can be set up within hours if disaster strikes, keeping costs lower.
Cold standby is an architecture/DR strategy rather than a single cloud service. On any provider, it’s typically implemented by keeping backups (and sometimes machine images and infrastructure templates) stored but not running, then manually provisioning and restoring systems during a disaster. Equivalent building blocks include object storage for backups, snapshot/image services, and infrastructure-as-code to recreate environments.