Disaster Management
Webster’s Dictionary defines disaster as a sudden misfortune, a catastrophe that affects society [1]. It is the effect of a hazardous event caused by either man or nature. Man-made disasters are those disasters that involve a human element like intent, er
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Disaster Management
8.1
Introduction
Webster’s Dictionary defines disaster as a sudden misfortune, a catastrophe that affects society [1]. It is the effect of a hazardous event caused by either man or nature. Man-made disasters are those disasters that involve a human element like intent, error, or negligence. Natural disasters are those caused by the forces of nature like hurricanes, tornados, and tsunamis. Disasters, natural or man-made, may cause great devastation to society and the environment. For example, the 2006 tsunami in Southeast Asia caused both huge human losses and environment destruction. The effects of a disaster may be short lived or long lasting. Most disasters, both man-made and natural, have long-lasting effects. To mitigate disaster effects on society and businesses, disaster management skills are needed. In information technology, disaster situations are big security problems to the enterprise information systems that must be handled with skills just like other security problems we have discussed so far in this book. To understand how this is a very big security problem for a modern society, one has to understand the working of a modern business entity. Modern businesses have moved away from the typewriter and manila folders to desktops and large databases to process and store business day-to-day data and transactions. This growing use of computers in businesses, the ever-increasing speed of data transmission, and the forces of globalization all have forced businesses into a new digitized global corner that demands high-speed data access to meet the demands of the technology-savvy customers in a highly competitive global environment. In response, high-volume and high-speed databases have been set up. For the business to remain competitive and probably ahead of the competitors, all business systems must remain online and in service 24/7. No modern business can afford a disaster to happen to its online systems. Failing to achieve that level of service would mean the failure of the business. Thousands of businesses close or lose millions of dollars every year depending on the level of attention they give to their online systems and failing to protect them against disasters like fire, power outage, theft, equipment failure, viruses, hackers, and human errors. No business # Springer International Publishing AG 2017 J.M. Kizza, Guide to Computer Network Security, Computer Communications and Networks, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-55606-2_8
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Disaster Management
can succeed in today’s environment without plans to deal with disasters. The September 11, 2002 attack on New York financial district was an eye-opener to many businesses to be prepared for disasters. For a quick recovery of these enterprises, good disaster management principles are needed. Also as company databases grew in size and complexity and the demand for their online fast access grew, the need for the protection of business-critical and irreplaceable company data is also growing in tandem. These developments are forcing busin
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