ISO 22301 International Business Continuity Standard
Status of ISO 22301
ISO 22301 the international standard for Societal security- Preparedness and continuity management systems (PCMS) is expected to be released in 2011. At present, it is in committee draft as a working document ISO/WD 22301 and is expected to be released for public draft comment in Q1/Q2 2010. As with other standards the specification standard will be accompanied by a code of practice (ISO 22399)
What is the relationship to BS 25999
BS 25999 is acting as the major source document for ISO 22301, with British Standards Institution playing a leading role working alongside other countries such as Australia, Japan and Israel in this international collaboration. It is anticipated that ISO 22301 will adopt the ‘plan, do, check, act’ (PDCA) model of continuous improvement. It is also expected that there will be a smooth transition path for those organisations who are certified/complying with BS 25999 and looking to certify to ISO 22301. Lisa Dargan, Business Development Director at Ultima Risk Management comments “We are expecting the migration from BS 25999 to ISO 22301 to be straight forward and similar to that experienced by organisations moving from BS 7799 to ISO 27001. As such there is no need for organisations to hold back any certification plans waiting for ISO 22301. For those looking to adopt best practice in business continuity management, BS 25999 is still the recommended solution.