Business Continuity Management

What is it?

Business Continuity Management is not just about disaster recovery, crisis management, risk management or Information Technology. It is a business issue.  It presents management with an opportunity to review the way an organisation performs its processes, to improve procedures and practices and increase resilience to interruption and loss. To quote the Business Continuity Institute, the professional body for Business Continuity Management:

"Business Continuity Management is the act of anticipating incidents which will affect critical functions and processes for the organisation and ensuring that it responds to any incident in a planned and rehearsed manner".
Nigel Turnbull, Chairman of the Committee On The Guidance For Directors On Internal Controls wrote:
 
"The Turnbull Committee Guidance for Directors on Internal Controls sets out overall framework of best practice for business, based upon an assessment and control of their significant risks. For many companies, Business Continuity Management will address some of these key risks and help them to achieve compliance."

Modern Business cannot avoid all forms of corporate risk or potential damage.  A realistic objective is to ensure the survival of your organisation by establishing a culture that will identify and manage those risks that could cause it to suffer:

• Inability to maintain customer services.

• Failure to meet legal or regulatory requirements.

• Damage to image, reputation or brand.

• Failure to protect the company assets.

• Business control failure.