What is Business Continuity Management?

There was never a better time to implement ISO22301 (Business Continuity Management Standard)

ISO22301 was initially launched in 2012. The uptake of this standard has been slow and it is highly likely that this is due to the fact that organisations remained unconvinced that a major event outside their control would take place and secondly deemed it unlikely that such events would have a serious or detrimental impact on their business operation.

In addition organisations traditionally did not face requirements from their existing and potential customers to have certification to this standard, rather those requirements relied on the old favourites such ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO45001.

Why now?

Recent events would suggest that all of this is about change and that there will be an upturn in demand for certification to ISO22301, for the exact opposite of the reasons above.

Firstly organisations are acutely aware that major events outside their control can and will occur and that these events are highly likely to have a significant impact on business operations. Who would have ever imagined that governments around the world would have closed down society and instructed organisations to close ? Who knows what major global event could be next?

Secondly it is highly likely that certification to ISO22301 will become an integral part of supply chain approval processes and we will see a sharp uptake in demand for this standard as the demand takes hold. The more astute organisations will be initiating the certification process now and achieving certification ahead of their competitors. Thus enabling them to satisfy emerging tender criteria.

Regardless of this, it makes sense to have tried and tested Business Continuity Management Plans and therefore mitigate the cost and impact of disruptive events.

So what is ISO22301 ?

ISO22301 is a management system standard published by the International Organization for Standardization which provides a best practice framework for the development and implementation of Business Continuity Management System.

The standard is relevant to both public and sector private organisations. In fact certification to this standard can assist some public sector bodies to satisfy their obligations under emergency planning legislation.

The standard has been developed in line with Annex SL, meaning that it can be easily and neatly integrated with existing ISO systems.

Major Benefits to your organisation

• Compliance with legislative requirements – There are many countries defining laws and regulations requiring business continuity compliance and even private sector organisations are also requiring their suppliers to implement business continuity measures and controls.

• Grow your organisation’s competitive advantage – If your organisation is ISO22301 certificated and your competitor’s aren’t, you have an advantage over them for customers who believe continuity of operations matters.

• Reduce reliance on internal Subject Matter Experts – Typically, this ‘sort of thing’ is the responsibility of one or a few members of staff, who are hard to replace, and Senior Management can be rest assured with a business continuity management system that if it is practiced and embedded within an organisation, that continuity of operations will progress, should that person leave the organisation.

• Prevent large-scale damage – Disruptive events will cost your business. Simple. A business continuity management system aligned with ISO22301 acts as an insurance and an investment in it will cost less that potential irreparable damage to your business in the event of a major disruption.

If you’d like to know more about business continuity management and ISO22301 please visit https://quadraconsulting.com/iso-22301-business-continuity/ or speak to Quadra for further information.