Business Continuity

Guidance for Businesses and Voluntary Organisations

Emergencies and disasters can cause extensive disruption to business activities yet recognising the advantages of undertaking simple business continuity measures can minimise these disruptions and potential losses.

What is Business Continuity Management (BCM)?

BCM is a process that identifies potential impacts that threaten an organisation, and also provides a framework for building resilience and the capability of an effective response in the event of a disruption.

What do you mean by Disruption?

Disruptions vary, and could come from a number of sources

• The electricity supply fails
• Water, gas or communication networks (landlines and mobiles) were disrupted or interrupted? 
• Adverse or severe weather conditions made it difficult for the business to continue to trade?
• Terrorism
• Fire, explosion or water including flooding, damaged parts or all of your premises
• Internal disruptions, eg loss of key staff, IT networks, hardware systems failure
• Or from multiple other causes

But I’m insured, aren't I?

The likelihood is, you will recover 30% to 50% of the total cost of an insured interruption, and you still have to keep the business going while your losses are assessed.

So what do I do?

You need to put in place a process of managing the risks that may disrupt your business. The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) has developed a five-stage process, which has become widely accepted.

This process is outlined as follows:-

• Understand your business
• Assess your risks and produce your BCM Strategies
• Develop and Implement your plan
• Developing a Business Continuity Management culture
• Exercising, maintenance and auditing of your plan

The full Good Practice Guidelines are available to download free of charge from http://www.thebci.org/

Nikki Morris

Corporate Governance and Risk Officer

E-mail: nikki.morris@thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577625