Should workplace violence be addressed in a disaster recovery plan? If so, what should be in the DR process?
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When building a disaster recovery plan, two key initial activities are to complete a business impact analysis and risk assessment [evaluation]. These two initiatives help identify key attributes of the organization and their value to the firm, and situations that could threaten the continued operation of the firm, respectively.
If workplace violence is considered among the risks to the organization (risk assessment) and its potential impact on the business can be defined (business impact analysis), then it should be factored into the overall plan and the DR process. Determine what outcomes might occur from a workplace violence incident (e.g., equipment damage, vandalism) and include specific remedies in the plan that addresses those scenarios (e.g., inventory of backup devices, quick-ship arrangements from equipment vendors, arrangements with multiple vendors for replacement devices).
This was first published in January 2013