We are increasingly facing incidents that cause business disruption, such as natural disasters, disruptions in information and communication technologies, the supply chain and various other threats to the normal functioning of the organization. If the organization does not address these threats, there will be an interruption or complete downtime in its business. Consistent planning of threat response activities enables more effective response to business disruptions and faster recovery afterwards.
ISO 22301 is a business continuity management system (BCMS) standard that helps organizations establish and maintain effective business continuity plans, systems, and processes. The standard provides a clear and detailed view of how an organization should operate using its internal values to achieve effective management of the risks that may arise from threats to business continuity. Also, the standard provides guidelines for preparing, providing and maintaining continuous management and governance of an organization’s overall ability to continue to operate during a disruption.
ISO 22301 is applicable to all organizations regardless of the size, industry or nature of the work they perform. It is intended for organizations that need to continue to deliver products and services to an acceptable, predefined capacity during a disruption, as well as for all organizations that seek to improve their resilience through the effective implementation of BCMS
This standard is structured to follow the structure of other management system standards, which facilitates its integration into other management systems such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
It is obvious that nowadays, Covid 19 pandemic has a global impact on business. Some organizations have been forced to suspend their operations immediately and many are still struggling to recover from the crisis. Each industrial sector had to adapt to new circumstances in order to maintain business continuity. This applies not only to the supply chain or continuity in production and service delivery, but to any system where there is a risk. In today’s global pandemic, maintaining business continuity is one of the most important goals of any organization. All organizations face numerous questions from their customers, suppliers, investors and the general public regarding ensuring business continuity. Returning to a stable and normal functioning of the organization is a comprehensive global objective in business and the ISO 22301 standard is the right way to achieve this.
BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION
ISO 22301 certification is an important tool for demonstrating an organization’s commitment to business continuity. ISO 22301 is intended for organizations that want to respond in a timely manner to all threats and to enable continuity of their business.
ISO 22301 presents international best practice guidelines, to help organizations respond appropriately to disorder and to recover effectively from it. This certainly allows for cost reductions and less negative impact on business performance if a threat arises. Furthermore, organizations with multiple locations or departments can establish a unified approach to achieving business continuity in all their parts.
Main benefits of applying this standard are:
- ability for clients, suppliers, legislators and other interested parties to gain confidence that the organization has a strong business continuity system,
- improving business performance and organizational resilience,
- reducing the vulnerability of organization’s operational activities,
- better understanding of business through analysis of critical points and areas of vulnerability,
- reducing the cost of insurance premiums,
- improving reputation,
- strengthening employee morale.
