News

The Importance of

Business Continuity

in a Global Crisis

Mar. 19 2020

The coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has placed a greater emphasis on business continuity and disaster planning, as businesses inevitably plan for worst-case scenarios in the wake of global lockdowns.

ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management is the global standard for business continuity, providing a framework for businesses to understand and prioritise threats, from utility services interruption and IS/IT outages or breaches, to acts of nature, extreme weather, supply chain disruption and a global pandemic. It specifies the requirements for a management system to protect against, reduce the likelihood of, and ensure your business recovers from such disruptive incidents.

ISO 22301 has inevitably been a hot topic of conversation in recent weeks and we are continuing to work with clients on business continuity services including:

  • Training to help understand the ISO 22301 standard and how it could be implemented within the organisation
  • Certification to ISO 22301 if you choose to gain external recognition
  • ISO 22301 audits to identify areas for improvement  

How can ISO 22301 support?

By establishing an ISO 22301 compliant Business Continuity Management System, your organisation can improve the resilience of the entire business ecosystem and society within which it operates.

It also sends a reassuring message to stakeholders along the whole value chain by demonstrating that you are prepared for a crisis such as the current pandemic and can both withstand and recover speedily from any event.

Basilio Vieira, Lead Auditor for Bureau Veritas Certification said: “Business continuity plans – particularly if externally certified to the global standard – can support organisations to navigate the challenges faced in this extremely difficult time. In a time of crisis like this, an effective management system can help to reduce the impact, provide the capacity to recover, minimise risks to property and help safeguard against revenue losses and maintain cash flow. Crucially, it can also ensure employee safety and reduce the risk of legal non-compliance.

“Obviously, in an ideal situation, an organisation would already have an effective management system in place. This is a critical time to review that management system within the framework of ISO 22301, or to undertake an audit if not.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are continuing to monitor the global situation carefully for the benefit of our client and of our own employees.”

Find out more

To learn more about our services, visit ISO 22301 Certification.