One threat that was not specifically listed in the book that poses a threat to business continuity is that of a widespread virus pandemic. Pandemics are the fiction behind blockbuster movies and best sellers, and are rarely at the forefront of the human psyche. However, this risk could pose a severe threat to organizations if there area or building became the target of a viral outbreak. The history of real pandemics occurring in the United States is minimal, and the threat it poses to management during a risk assessment is on the bottom of their list of concerns.
However, it is a topic that should not be so hastily cast aside. Recently, North America has had to deal with the outbreak of the swine flu. In recent weeks, the swine flu epidemic has become headlines in the news media. Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak has had thousands of confirmed cases, and hundreds of cases have been confirmed in the United States, and countries as far as Israel and New Zealand have had their share of swine flu victims. The outbreak of this pandemic caused many financial and economic issues in Mexico.
A pandemic does not directly affect many business operations, but instead the personnel that develop and maintain these systems. What purpose does a huge database of knowledge serve if the DBA and Lead Application Developer have fallen to the ills of deadly virus? This concern is not without merit as the influenza pandemic of 1918 claimed an estimated 50 million lives. (Taubenberger, 2006) , and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic that swept through Asia in the spring of 2003, that claimed nearly 800 people in 7 countries died (Blendon, 2003). The idea of showing up for work and half the staff missing due to some mutated contagion seems farfetched, but what precautions have businesses considered in the event of such a catastrophe.
Another threat to business