ISO 22301 - Business Continuity Management

Business disruption is a key concern for many executives. Cyber attacks, IT breakdowns, flooding, fire, pandemic virus outbreaks and major supply chain issues are examples of incidents that may pose substantial threats to the running of any business. The business continuity management system standard ISO 22301 provides international best practices to help your organization respond to and recover from disruptions effectively.   

About ISO 22301

ISO 22301 is applicable to any type of organization, large or small, operating within any industry sector. It is particularly important for organizations operating in high risk environments like utilities, financial services, oil and gas, transportation, telecom and food and beverage production. The same goes for organizations where continued operation is critical, like in the public sector.  ISO 22301 was first released in 2012. The newest version was released 31 October 2019. Certified companies have 3 years to transition.  

Benefits of business continuity management 

The ISO 22301 requirements and a compliant business continuity management system generally gives a clear and detailed view of how an organization operates. It offers valuable insight useful for strategic planning, risk management, supply chain management, business transformation and resource management.    

Other benefits are: 

• Better understanding of your business through analysis of critical issues and areas of vulnerability 
• Enhanced organizational resilience through cross-team collaborations 
• Consistent approach throughout the entire organization (for multi-site organisations) 
• Reduced costs and less impact on business performance if a disruptive incident occurs 
• Demonstration of your commitment to stakeholders such as customers, suppliers and regulators that your organization has sound systems and processes in place for business continuity 
• Reap cost benefits from reduced insurance premiums 

Implementing ISO 22301 and certification of your business continuity management system will help you:  

• Obtain a better understanding of the organization.  
• Implement a business continuity strategy and maintain proper solutions to be activated when needed.  
• Maintain your continuity management plan through exercises and reviews of the organizational culture.  
• Learn how to embed the business continuity approach. 

During our audits we use our Risk Based Certification™ methodology, allowing us to tailor each audit to your unique needs. By focusing on the most significant business continuity management issues for your organization, our audits help you identify and concentrate your efforts on key improvement areas while also checking compliance against ISO 22301. 

How can we help?

We are an accredited third-party certification body. We provide relevant training and certification services and are a gold partner with Business Continuity Institute (BCI), a leading organization working to promote the art and science of business continuity management worldwide.