What is ISO 22301?
Incidents can happen anytime and disrupt business operations. These incidents can range from large scale natural disasters, to technology-related or environmental incidents and could have significant impact to business operations.
ISO 22301:2019 Business Continuity Management Systems (BCM) is the international standard that sets out business continuity guidelines to keep businesses operational during and following disruptive events. It provides a framework to help organizations in planning, establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and continually improving a business continuity management system.
Implementing a strong BCMS will aid your organisation in quickly recovering from a disaster or disruption. The BCMS can also safeguard an organisation against the reputational damage which can occur from missed deadlines, data leakages, operational, IT outages, industrial actions, disappointed clients or direct financial losses due to the disruption.
What is the latest version of ISO 22301?
On 31 October 2019 the latest version of the ISO 22301 standard was published – ISO 22301:2019. This is a revised version of ISO 22301:2012. It aims to make the standard “more streamlined and practical”, according to the ISO.
ISO 22301:2019 provides businesses with the most up-to-date security and resilience certification to be sure their business continuity management systems meet the international standard, set out by the ISO.
Benefits of ISO 22301:2019
- Maximise quality and efficiency: ISO 22301 provides a framework based on international best practice around the ‘Plan, Do, Check, Act’ concept.
- Flexibility during disruptions: During a localised disruption or an international disaster, your organisation will have a business continuity processes in place to ensure the continued smooth running of your business, or that if disrupted you will be able to get up and running quickly and efficiently in order to ensure minimum disruptions to the services you offer.
- Competitive advantage: Ensure client confidence through certification to ISO 22301, an internationally acknowledged standard, while gaining new opportunity and winning new business.
- Organisational improvement: BCM Certification provides you with a clear understanding of your entire organisation. This can provide you with new opportunities for improvement.
- Continuous internal improvement via audits: During the certification process you will participate in regular audits which ensure your management system is up to date.
- Legal and regulatory compliance: Demonstrate to your stakeholders that you meet the regional legal and regulatory requirements
- Cost savings: Your organisation may be able to reduce the cost of internal and external BCM audits, and to improve financial performance and reduce business disruption insurance premiums.
- Maintain optimum client delivery levels: A BCMS framework supports strengthened management processes which allow you to supply an agreed level of critical services and products within a specified time frame after disruption to your clients.
- Strengthen your internal management: A BCMS provides proven management capability during times of disruption.
- Reputational Management: Certification to ISO 22301 reinforces your commitment to providing a premium level of services to you stakeholders, even during adverse conditions.