Large parts of England and Wales were flooded this summer

Companies at the conference have been urged to consider how they would continue operating in the event of a flood or terror attack.

They have been told of the importance of having back-up plans to deal with phone or internet failures.

Organisations such as Scottish Water and NHS Fife were at the event.

According to recent figures released by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), 44% of all UK firms have no business continuity plans in place.

A new set of guidelines have been produced by the British Standards institution (BSi) to help companies prepare for the worst.

Unforeseen contingencies

These were being discussed at the seminar, which was organised by specialist firms SunGard and Scotland Online.

Scotland Online executive chairman David Hunter said business continuity management was not just about preparing for major events like floods and terrorist attacks.

He said: "Simple unforeseen contingencies such as street workers accidentally cutting through cabling, or an interruption in sewerage services can impact on an organisation's ability to function properly.

"Yet, despite the need to be ready for such infrequent but inevitable events, the vast majority of Scottish businesses are completely unprepared.