Business Continuity Management and (BS 25999 and ISO 22301)
URM provides a range of consultancy services assisting organisations to develop their BCM capabilities and to comply or certify with BS 25999.
What is Business Continuity Management?
"Business continuity management (BCM) is a holistic management process that identifies potential threats to an organisation and the impacts to business operations that those threats, if realised, might cause, and which provides a framework for building organisational resilience with the capability for an effective response that safeguards the interests of its key stakeholders, reputation, brand and value-creating activities."
Source: BS 25999-1 Code of practice for business continuity management
From this one can argue that there are two prime objectives of Business Continuity Management (BCM). Firstly, there is a need to plan to mitigate risks and to minimise crises and disasters occurring and secondly there is a need to be able to return to normal business operations as quickly as possible should crises and disaster occur.
What is BS 25999?
BS 25999 is the first ever national BCM Standard to which organisations can certify. It is written in two parts. Part 1 is the Code of Practice and outlines the Standards overall objectives, guidance and recommendations. Part 2 is the Specification which details the activities that should be completed in order to meet business continuity objectives within the context of an organisation's overall business risks. It is Part 2 (launched in October 2007) which organisations can certify to.
What is ISO 22301?
ISO 22301 refers to the international standard for Societal security- Preparedness and continuity management systems (PCMS) which is expected to be released in 2011. At present, it is in committee draft as a working document ISO/WD 22301 and a public draft is expected to be released in 2010. The Standard represents a truly international effort with major contributions from the UK, Australia, Japan and Israel.
It is understood that BS 25999 was utilised as a foundation for the new Standard and certainly the ‘plan, do, check, act’ (PDCA) model of continuous improvement based on continuous improvement has been adopted.
Buy the Standard
Buy the BS 25999 Standard
