ASIS International in cooperation with British Standards Institute (BSI) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recently published a Business Continuity Management (BCM) standard named “ASIS/BSI Business Continuity Management Systems: Requirements with Guidance for Use Standard”.
For over two years Bill Lang, VCPI’s Business Continuity Program Manager, participated as a member of the ASIS working group that painstakingly crafted this document.
https://www.asisonline.org/newsroom/pressReleases/2010-12-14_BCMstandard.doc
This BCM standard combines the disparate practices of reputable BCM organizations worldwide into a one-stop guide with a common theme and common language as well as universal acceptance and appeal. It helps organizations improve their resiliency against the uncertain threats of the future.
What’s new and unique?
- The only BCM standard approved by ASIS, BSI, and ANSI
- Combines the best from every existing BCM guide and best practice
- An international standard that can be used unchanged across divisions of multinational companies
- Created with limited resources of small businesses in mind
- Allows greater flexibility by not requiring components that may be inapplicable to some businesses
Owners and executives that champion the implementation of this standard within their organization can rest easier knowing it will not only allow them to operate through disasters, but more easily pass audits and also gain a saleable advantage over their unprepared competitors.
Why implement this BCM standard?
- Evacuation and IT disaster recovery plans are only part of what you need
- It’s important to continue to do business through a disaster without IT
- Audits will begin looking for BCM more often
- Local government emergency management expects you to have BCM
- Your clients and suppliers expect you to have BCM
- Regulators are looking for BCM
- After a disaster the press will ask you why you didn’t have BCM
- Litigators will call you to answer for the absence of BCM
- Your competitors can take business away with the advantage of their BCM
- The move towards EHR and EMR require BCM
Providers no longer need be victims of their circumstances; they can use this standard to confidently prepare to keep running through disastrous events for the benefit of everyone relying on them, and for the expectations of everyone watching them.
You can tap into VCPI experts to help implement this BCM standard and help you rest a whole lot easier knowing you have this strategic base covered.
Posted by Bill Lang
VCPI’s Business Continuity Program Manager
