In an IT environment, a disaster can be any unexpected problem that results in a slowdown, interruption or failure in a key system or network.  These problems can be caused by natural disasters, technology failures, malicious acts, incompatibilities, or simple human error. 

Whatever the cause, service outages, connectivity failures, data loss, and related technical issues can disrupt business operations, causing lost revenues, increased expenses, customer service problems, and lowered workplace productivity.

There is no doubt that disaster recovery planning can offer many benefits to a business. Once you acknowledge the value of technology to your organization, you must also consider the related consequences if and when that technology becomes temporarily unavailable, or totally inaccessible.