From natural disasters to the events of September 11th, there has been increased awareness in having a comprehensive and effective program to ensure the continuity of essential business functions under all circumstances. Called "Continuity of Operations (COOP), this discipline focuses on ensuring the performance of essential functions during an emergency or situation that may disrupt normal operations.
Most organizations are in the information business. If they lose their unique proprietary information, or the integrity of this information is compromised, they may no longer possess the ability to function. Thus, ignoring contingency planning can be fatal to an organization’s survival.
Historical events have shown that one-fifth of businesses that suffer a disaster fail to survive, while 95% of businesses that suffer a serious loss of data in a disaster cease to exist within five years. |
