Automation, robotics and the application of computer technology has made changes to the way we run our organizations today, that were not even dreamed of twenty five years ago, except in the minds of the most avant-garde science fiction writers. In the last quarter of the 20th Century almost every aspect of business, finance and government has been automated. Today much of what we now consider normal, from just-in-time manufacturing to global positioning control of delivery schedules, instantaneous transfer of funds and research and development are stored electronically and their availability is taken for granted.

Yet with the fact that we live in one of the most earthquake active regions of the world, and over the last decade alone we have suffered from natural disasters ranging from floods and mud slides to forest fires, we should plan for such events to occur again, for they undoubtedly will. Throw in a few technologically savvy criminals and some disgruntled employees and then add the Year 2000 bug for good measure and you will understand why so many people have asked for this forum. Imagine what would happen if your systems went down for a few days, even weeks. Or, your suppliers could not meet deliveries? Or, a hacker got into your data base with havoc on his mind? Or an earthquake hit next Thursday? This discussion will examine the latest technologies and processes to protect your information from both natural disasters and computer fraud. For good measure we will also cover such items and supply chain reliability and accidental corruption of data. Data protection, back-up plans or any other aspect of business continuity, we will bring it into the conversation.