About what defines a disaster
For an organization, a disaster is an unplanned event that interrupts its ability to function. Usually, the event affects the delivery of critical business functions and results in a loss of data.
The following are generally recognized as the types of disasters possible:
Technological disasters result in shortcomings in performance, availability, capacity, and accessibility of your IT infrastructures. Technological disasters include computer or Internet crimes, computer viruses, power failures, network or telecommunication failures, hardware or software failures, and other similar failures.
Human disasters are caused by people, including accidents, explosions, fires, riots, terrorist activities, and other events.
Natural disasters are caused by nature, including hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, and other natural events.
The effect of a disaster often depends on the scale and timing of the event. Although a disaster is an event that is beyond your control, you can control the way in which your organization reacts to a disaster. By planning and preparing for a disastrous event, you can minimize the effect of the disaster.