"Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security." John Allen Paulos, Professor of Mathematics, Temple University, Philadelphia University, USA

Uncertainty exists in every aspect of life and for the enterprise, the extent of the uncertainly, should it be a disaster, can cause a serious setback to the business. Coping with a virus that wipes out important company data, a security breach compromising company confidential information, or even downtime for mission-critical operations, are just some examples of undesirable situations that a CXO may have to deal with. Instead of waiting for the unknown to take its course and strike in the worst possible way, many enterprises are proactively taking steps to anticipate and minimise such disasters to ensure the survival of their businesses.

The recent IDC Continuum 2005 Survey shows that 27.8% of all businesses in Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) do not have any business continuity solutions in place. This shows that many organisations in Asia Pacific have some way to go before they can become well prepared for adverse circumstances.

However, security as an issue and as a strategic consideration is the one thing that has not lost momentum in the ever-changing IT world for many CIOs and business strategists. In the same survey, respondents have identified security as the most strategically important area in 2005 for their organisation. IDC research shows that the following drivers have been catalytic in moving companies towards dynamic resilience.

Corporate threats: The rising number of threatening events taking place around the world, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, data hacking, identity thefts and frauds, etc. are causing CXOs to think seriously about their current situation and the robustness of their IT infrastructure

Corporate governance: Government