There was a time when Business Continuity Planning (BCP) was called “Disaster Planning”, but that phrase has fallen into disuse because it has a negative connotation: no-one wants to plan for a disaster. That's just asking for trouble. What stakeholders do want, however, is for the business to be prepared to continue operations despite the obstacles it might encounter along the way. BCP is the process by which senior management prepares for the future and manages risk. The good news is that risk is manageable and a good BCP can help to insure a long life for your operation.

According to MarketWatch problems with software applications account for 31% of computer down time and cost U.S. companies about $60 billion per year. Conventional wisdom says that investments in IT improve productivity, but this may not always be the case.