Business Continuity is the term now given to mean the strategies and planning by which an organization prepares to respond to catastrophic events such as fires, floods, cyber-attacks, or more common human errors and accidents
Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) puts such a program in the context of an ISO Management Systems, and ISO 22301:2012 sets a certifiable standard for a BCMS. It is the first and most recognized international standard for business continuity.
Steps in ISO 22301 implementation are the following:
1. Obtain management support
2. Identify all applicable requirements
3. Develop top-level Business Continuity Policy and objectives
4. Write documents that support the management system
5. Perform risk assessment and treatment
6. Perform business impact analysis
7. Develop business continuity strategy
8. Write the business continuity plan(s)
9. Implement training and awareness programs
10. Maintain the documentation
11. Perform exercising and testing
12. Perform post-incident reviews
13. Communicate continuously with the interested parties
14. Measure and evaluate the BCMS
15. Perform internal audit
16. Implement all the necessary corrective and preventive actions, and
17. Perform the management review
