Business Continuity Blog

Not sure where to start with Business Continuity Planning? Read the first of our three-part series, which looks at the very basics of what it is, and why your business needs to do it. 

We've created comprehensive Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and Business Continuity Plan (BCP) templates to help newcomers get started with business continuity.

Article originally published by the BCI's Continuity Magazine, issue Q2 2017.

The long-awaited ISO 22316:2017[E] International Standard Security and resilience – Organizational resilience – Principles and attributes has arrived.  I paid my £80 and downloaded it.  At first read it doesn’t seem to offer much – a long title but just 10 pages of dry and heavily-engineered clauses.  Surely there must be value in there if only I can unlock it.  I decided to apply my own test, perhaps a little off-piste as far as conventional review goes, but relevant for many.  I chose Brexit.

Almost every prudent business, large or small sees wisdom in buying some level of business insurance. We feel comfortable paying a small amount (premium) that will deliver a larger amount (claim) if we suffer a sizeable loss.  

However, insurance won't keep your customers happy whilst they wait for you to rebuild.  It won't organise your people, ensure you can find capacity elsewhere or help you decide how to respond to the challenging conditions you now face.

Business continuity does these things.  It works hand-in-glove with risk management and insurance.  It's not difficult and the guide below explains how to do it.

In my experience, many businesses in the UK are under-insured. This is particularly true when it comes to Business Interruption (BI) cover where I often see Maximum Indemnity Periods (MIP) of just 12 months. I was a commercial loss adjuster for over 30 years and experienced first-hand just how long it takes to fully recover a business. In most cases, it took much longer than this.