Organizations are faced with a variety of threats and vulnerabilities, and these continue to evolve. Business disruptions can include natural disasters such as floods, fires, hurricanes, and power outages. Since 9/11, the threat of man-made disasters such as terrorist attacks has taken on a sense of urgency as well. The increasing density of our population further exacerbates the threats posed by both natural and manmade disasters. Although business continuity planning and disaster recovery planning are now generally recognized as vital, creating and maintaining a sound plan is quite complex.

Business continuity planning addresses the prospect that a disaster might interrupt an organization's business operations. Whether an organization is for-profit, non-profit, or governmental, the need to mitigate disaster risks has become especially salient. Firms should evaluate their degree of exposure to disaster, both externally (e.g., floods, fires, hurricanes) and internally (e.g., HVAC failure, sabotage...