Surviving a computer disaster

One used to think of a business disaster as the inferno, tempest or flood that destroyed buildings, equipment and records vital to the running of a company. Of course, such disasters still happen, but an increasing number-indeed the majority-of disasters are less physical and more subtle. They include: system failure and data corruption caused by electromagnetic interference; loss of processing capability through police denying access to computer installations as a result of nearby terrorist activity; chemical contamination of hardware and magnetic media; illegal access (hacking) into computer systems resulting in corruption or loss of data; theft of personal computers; rodents; loss of supplied services; and loss of power