You are implementing a business continuity management system (BCMS) for the first time and you discover that one of the requirements is to conduct “internal audits”. What do you do? Who should be the auditor? Do they need to be trained? All valid questions (along with scores of others which you will doubtless ask yourself) which invariably will be rushed through without much thought into what is trying to be achieved (apart from a tick in the BCMS/certification box).
Done well, audits are an excellent way for your business to learn what’s working and what needs to be improved but done badly they soon become robotic and worse, potentially divisive. Internal audits are a requirement of any management system standard so if you are committed to implementing a meaningful BCMS you might as well do it properly from the outset.
In a recent interesting piece by Dr Eric Schmidt of TDS Inc. he explores some of the background of the Sarbanes Oxley and looks at the implications it has for Organisations affected and specifically the impact on Business Continuity Practitioners. He argues persuasively that regulatory initiatives and world events are driving the convergence of business continuity, security and information management under the umbrella of enterprise risk management, sometimes referred to as global assurance.
National Audit Office lauches Self Assessment tools for Local Authorities
The Civil Contingencies Act supports the promotion of greater resilience among public agencies and the wider local community.
The Act makes now an appropriate time for authorities to review current arrangements. It promotes business continuity as well as emergency planning, recognising that preparedness is an issue for the whole local authority and the businesses within the area. There is no preferred structure for delivering the services covered by the bill. Much will depend on local issues (for example local hazards such as the number of COMAH sites; the internal arrangements of the local authority regarding risk management and links between emergency planning, risk and business continuity arrangements.)
You are implementing a business continuity management system (BCMS) for the first time and you discover that one of the requirements is to conduct “internal audits”. What do you do? Who should be the auditor? Do they need to be trained? All valid questions (along with scores of others which you will doubtless ask yourself) which invariably will be rushed through without much thought into what is trying to be achieved (apart from a tick in the BCMS/certification box). 
