Unplanned disruptive incidents such as fire, terrorism or severe weather can cause serious interruption to business operations and the wider community.

Every year many businesses suffer major disruption and many never recover. The Chartered Management Institute's Business Continuity Management Survey 2008 indicated that up to 43% of businesses surveyed suffered disruptive events in the previous 12 months. Past experience from major incidents in the UK shows that organisations that have business continuity arrangements in place are more likely to stay in business and recover more quickly than those that don't.

Because it makes real business sense. Emergencies can disrupt businesses, affecting profits and operations. This is bad for employees, shareholders, customers and the local community.

If you want to stay in business after disaster strikes you need to undertake some careful pre-planning. You will find that it is quick, easy and inexpensive to create a business continuity plan. You can also use it as a selling point - a proven resilience and business continuity programme will distinguish you from your competitors.

There is no 'one size fits all' solution to business continuity planning although regardless of size the basic process is the same.