ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System (BCMS)
What is the ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System?
Having the ability to continue operations regardless of any minor or major incident, is becoming increasingly important to businesses.
A Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) allows a company to plan for these incidents. This leads to greater competitiveness and decreases the amount of ‘down time’ a business will have if the unexpected occurs.
The ISO 22301 covers the requirements for a robust Business Continuity Management System. This allows the company to minimise the risk associated with disruptions and to ensure control is maintained at all times.
ISO 22301 certification can be achieved by any business which is looking to safeguard itself against adverse conditions which may pose a threat to day to day operations.
Benefits of ISO 22301 certification
It safeguards your assets, turnover and profits
It improves the reputation of your business
It ensures you meet legal and regulatory requirements
It helps to minimise your risks and ensures control is maintained at all times
It can reduce your insurance premiums
It gives you a competitive advantage
It enhances your decision making
It helps to protect your business from disruption & unforeseen circumstances
How can ISO 22301 protect my business?
An ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System ensures a business is properly assessing its potential risks on a regular basis. This allows your business to be agile and adapt to any situation which poses a disruption to operations. Having a properly laid out plan for the business to follow during a major or minor incident, reduces the time it takes to get back to ‘Business as Usual’.
Other benefits of an ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System include:
- Improved business reputation therefore leading to higher customer retention
- Enhanced decision making, as company has better understanding of threats to operations
- Helps to safeguard the future of the business, as a result increasing job security for your employees
In addition a Business Continuity Management Systems can also reduce your insurance premiums, as chances of not being able to trade during a crisis are reduced.
What are the requirements of ISO 22301?
Similar to the ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 the ISO 22301 runs to the 10-clause structure of the Annex SL. This means a business can run the systems fully integrated with each other. The key requirements of the ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System would also include:
Continuity – the processes the business must run to monitor, prevent, assess and recover from a disruption
Management Responsibility – ensuring accountability throughout the organisation
Resource Management – how the key resources within the business (such as people and infrastructure) are allocated to ensure optimum performance
Measurement, Analysis and Improvement – otherwise known as testing the plan. Ensuring what you have implemented works and a mechanism for improvement.
What is the process to get my business certified to ISO 22301?
We have a simple six step process which takes you from where you are today to confidently running an ISO 22301 certified Business Continuity Management System that feels like it’s always been part of your business in under eight weeks.
Step 1
Contact us
Speak to our ISO experts to get your bespoke quote.
Step 2
Kick off meeting
Meet with your new account manager and get an overview of the next steps and support provided.
Step 3
Initial Assessment
First meeting with your auditor who will identify works to be completed.
Step 4
Documentation preparation
We’ll compile your Overview Document which will act as your ISO manual.
Step 5
Certification audit
Once requirements of the Standard are met, we’ll present you with your certificate.
Step 6
Maintaining compliance
We’ll visit you twice yearly to support you with your ongoing compliance.
FAQs
The costs vary depending on the size of your organisation and the level to which you’re currently operating with regard to your processes and procedures. Due to our proposals being bespoke, we recommend getting in touch with a member of our team to discuss your requirement in more detail so we can provide a free, no-obligation quote.
Your ISO 22301 certificate will be valid for 12 months and subject to an annual re-certification audit throughout your contract.
As well as your annual re-certification audit, we provide yearly support visits. These are entirely flexible to you and can be used to ensure you’re on track for your audit or to focus on a key area. Either way, they’re a great opportunity to meet with your assessor and benefit from their vast knowledge and expertise.  In addition, you will have a dedicated account manager on hand to support you with the day-to-day running of your BCMS and access to our client portal with exclusive access to templates and guides.
No, we don't provide UKAS Accreditation. We work in partnership with UKAS Accredited Bodies, and when UKAS is required, we can recommend a provider and support you through the process with our consultancy services. In most cases, non-accredited certification is enough for most businesses. We therefore recommend reviewing whether you require UKAS or not. Â
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