ISO 22301:2012

Organizations are required to provide “continued” operations in defined timeframes. The ISO 22301 standard is designed to help organizations keep operating during the most challenging and unexpected circumstances.

Many organizations are required, due to different reasons, to continue providing operations at any given disruption in defined timeframes. The ISO 22301 standard is designed to help organizations keep operating during the most challenging and unexpected circumstances. By assisting an organization to put the fundamentals of a BCM (Business Continuity Management) system in place, it protects personnel, preserves reputation and provides the ability to continue to operate and trade.

Continuity of operations in case of disruption, whether due to a major disaster or a minor incident, is an essential requirement for any given organization. ISO 22301 is the replacement of BS 25999 which was the first worldwide BCM standard and was designed and developed to minimize the risks of any disruptions that may affect the operations of an entire organization.

It provides a basis for the development and implementation of business continuity within an organization and gives confidence in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) dealings. It also contains a comprehensive set of controls based on BCM best practices and covers the whole BCM lifecycle.

ISO 22301 is suitable for all organizations, large or small, from any sector. It is especially relevant to organizations which operate in high-risk environments such as finance, telecommunications, transport and the public sector, where the ability to continue operating is most essential for the organization itself and its customers and interested parties.

The benefits of ISO 22301 are extensive and cover many organizational areas:

• It provides a common framework, which is based on international good practices in order to manage effectively business continuity.
• It improves in a proactive manner the organization’s resilience when it is faced with disruptions to its ability to achieve its main objectives.
• It provides a tested and effective method of restoring an organization’s ability to deliver crucial products and/ or services to an agreed level and timeframe following a disruption.
• It offers established practices in order to effectively manage a disruption.
• It facilitates the protection and enhancement of the organization’s reputation and brand.
• It provides a competitive advantage by opening new markets and helping an organization gain new projects.
• It enables a better understanding of how the entire organization works and can assist in identifying opportunities for improvement.
• It shows that applicable laws and regulations are being observed.
• It generates an opportunity to reduce costs due to internal and external BCM audits and may also reduce business interruption insurance premiums.