ABSTRACT
It has been a key argument of this book that business continuity concerns more than IS security, from which the discipline emerged. The ubiquity of IS and our dependence upon it makes it a natural focus for continuity efforts. However, as we enter the twenty-first century the range and types of business interruptions are likely to grow. What is the role of business continuity likely to be in the new millennium? Throughout this book we have sought to distinguish between the trigger and consequence. Buildings, information systems, hardware and other assets are only means to an end, that is, means of satisfying customers. The typology of crisis introduced in Chapter 4 provided some insight into the potential range of interruptions (see Figure 4.4). Mellish (2000), for example, described how Sainsburys activated their plans for dealing with the so-called millennium bug when faced with a fuel crisis caused by a blockade of UK oil refineries. A plan developed to deal with the millennium bug fitted the needs of a potential crisis triggered by angry lorry drivers.
