Confident your company could cope in a crisis? BSI launches new tool to help in preparedness

Every year thousands of organizations face the risk of disruption to their operations, ranging from the effects of adverse weather conditions to full scale terrorist attacks. A 2008 survey by the Chartered Management Institute found that only 47 per cent of respondents had a specific BCM plan in place*. To help organizations prepare for disruptions on any scale BSI has now developed an online tool which helps develop the necessary framework for planning, implementing, operating, reviewing, recording and reporting on their business continuity management system (BCMS) and identifying any gaps to help gain compliance certification.

The BSI Business Continuity Self-assessment online tool allows organizations to assess their BCM plans and policies and record and report compliance, providing confidence in their BCM planning. The exclusive self-assessment questionnaire covers all the requirements of BS 25999-2 Business Continuity Management - Specification, so that organizations can identify necessary improvements to their existing BCMS as they progress toward certification.

Contextual help is provided for each question, written by BCM practitioners with market experience. References take the user directly from the question to the relevant sections of BS 25999-2 and other BSI publications in an online reference library. Existing self-assessments can be amended at any time, and new self-assessments begun when necessary.

The BSI Business Continuity Self-assessment online tool has been designed to work across multiple organization sites and with multiple users, but can be easily used as a standalone application by small organizations and BCM newcomers. For those in the public sector – or working with it - the tool will support effective business continuity management as encouraged by the Civil Contingencies Act.

Mike Low, Director of BSI British Standards, said, “The BCM online self-assessment tool provides an efficient and comprehensive framework within which an organization can assess its progress towards a recognized standard. In tough economic times such as these it is more important than ever for businesses to have the BCM systems in place which will help them stay afloat should operations be disrupted. BCM can be used to determine and invest in critical areas of the organization, protect reputation and enhance stakeholder confidence.”

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Notes to editors

* Source: The Chartered Management Institute’s 2008 Business Continuity Management Survey

About BSI British Standards

BSI British Standards is the UK’s National Standards Body, recognized globally for its independence, integrity and innovation in the production of standards and information products that promote and share best practice. BSI works with businesses, consumers and government to represent UK interests and to make sure that British, European and international standards are useful, relevant and authoritative.

About BSI Group

BSI British Standards is part of BSI Group, a global independent business services organization that inspires confidence and delivers assurance to customers with standards-based solutions. Originating as the world’s first national standards body, the Group has over 2,300 staff operating in over 120 countries through more than 50 global offices. The Group’s key offerings are:

• The development and sale of private, national and international standards and supporting information
• Second and third-party management systems assessment and certification
• Product testing and certification of services and products
• Performance management software solutions
• Training services in support of standards implementation and business best practice.