A disaster scenario is a hypothetical incident that gives participants a problem to work through. The scenario may describe any disruption to the normal flow of business. When selecting a scenario, be sure to make it one that is realistic as well as broad enough to include several teams to test intergroup communications. Also, make sure the final solution is achievable. The following is a list of potential testing scenarios.
- Natural Disasters
- Hurricane/heavy winds and rain
- Tornado
- Earthquake
- Flood
- Fire
- Civil Crises
- Labor strike
- Workplace violence
- Serious supplier disruption
- Terrorist target neighbor (judiciary, military, federal, or diplomatic buildings)
- Limited or no property access
- Location Threats
- Nearby major highway, railway, pipeline
- Hazardous neighbor
- Offices above 12th floor (limit of fire ladders)
- Major political event
- Network/Information Security Issues
- Computer virus
- Hackers stealing data
- Data communication failure
- Data Operations Threats
- Roof collapse
- Broken water pipe in room above data center
- Fire in data center
- Critical IT equipment failure
- Telecommunications failure
- Power failure
- Service provider failure
Michael Herrera
Michael Herrera is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MHA. In his role, Michael provides global leadership to the entire set of industry practices and horizontal capabilities within MHA. Under his leadership, MHA has become a leading provider of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery services to organizations on a global level. He is also the founder of BCMMETRICS, a leading cloud based tool designed to assess business continuity compliance and residual risk. Michael is a well-known and sought after speaker on Business Continuity issues at local and national contingency planner chapter meetings and conferences. Prior to founding MHA, he was a Regional VP for Bank of America, where he was responsible for Business Continuity across the southwest region.
