Which term describes a pre-determined level of acceptable data loss over a specific period of time?

The term that defines a pre-determined level of acceptable data loss over a specific period of time is indeed Recovery Point Objective (RPO). RPO is a key metric used in disaster recovery and business continuity planning, as it establishes the maximum age of the data that can be considered acceptable after a disruption.

In practical terms, RPO helps organizations determine how frequently data backups should occur to ensure that, in the event of a failure, the business can recover data to a point that minimizes loss. For instance, if an organization has an RPO of one hour, this means that in the event of a system failure, they can tolerate losing at most one hour's worth of data.

Understanding RPO is crucial for designing effective backup strategies and understanding the potential impact of data loss on business operations. It guides decisions regarding technology and operational processes to ensure that the organization can restore its data to an acceptable state after an incident.