ABSTRACT
As with the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, ample physical and documentary evidence shows that throughout the course of human history, different forms of planning have been undertaken to protect communities from natural disasters. Today, in an increasingly crowded and conflicted world, all organizations, regardless of their size, face risks to their facilities and business operations. While a small organization may consider itself to be uncomfortably vulnerable to an incident or disaster, a very large organization might face truly unacceptable risks due to its sheer size and complexity. The process of assessing and managing the business of continuing operations, also known as business continuity planning (BCP), has thus become a crucial and necessary reality for ensuring the continuity and survival of government and business organizations. In an effort to demonstrate this need, the following discussion outlines the reasons why a business continuity program should be implemented, explains its benefits, and describes the processes that support its management throughout the lifetime of an organization.
