press release

ISO official press release for Business Continuity standard - ISO 22301

 
ISO 22301 Press releaseISO has published an International Standard addressing business continuity management to contribute making organizations in both public and private sectors more resilient.
 
ISO 22301:2012, Societal security – Business continuity management systems – Requirements, will help organizations, regardless of their size, location or activity, to be better prepared and more confident to handle disruption of any type.
 
Incidents can disrupt an organization at any time and applying ISO 22301 will ensure that organizations can respond and continue its operations. Incidents take many forms ranging from large scale natural disasters and acts of terror to technology-related accidents and environmental incidents. However, most incidents are small but can have a significant impact and that m
akes business continuity management relevant at all times.
 

Climate Change and Business Continuity - changing the future - a new working group

Changing the future ...
 
The Continuity Forum has been working for a number of years looking at how the expertise and experience gained by Risk and Business Continuity professionals can help change our future.
 
Climate Change is a very real threat that needs united action by the public and private sector if the risks it brings are to be effectively countered.
 
Across disparate areas, expert opinion has confirmed everyone needs to be more active and to start considering how Climate Chnage may affect them. The Continuity Forum has developed relationships with government and academia, investigating the contribution our professions expertise can make to this challenge.
 
What has become clear over this time is that there are very few people in better positions to understand the risks and consequences to organisations and communities than the BC and Risk Management Communities. Whether its Flooding or Drought, Supply Chain disruption or Fire, even natural disasters, our sectors have real experience of how to cope more effectively.  Moreover, with the changing landscape and profile of Business Continuity and Risk Management across the world the time is now right to seek positive engagement on how we can help deliver cost-effective, viable and sustainable solutions. 
 

FREE ISO 22301 WEBINARS - dates now available to book

 
We are now accepting bookings for our public Webinars covering the new Standard for Business Continuity, ISO 22301.
 
These sessions are being provided free of charge. Initially we are providing four sessions to cover the worlds different time zones.
 
The first public session will commence at 09:30am GMT on Wednesday 30th May 2012 and be followed later that day withthe second starting at 16:30.
 
The next session will be held on Wednesday 6th June at 16:30
pm (GMT) and the fourth a week later on Wednesday 13th June at 09:30am (GMT).
 

ISO 22301 Event Managing the Transition from BS 25999

 
 
 
 
UPDATE - Partner sessions are now available please contact us to arrange your organisations personal brieifing on ISO 22301.
 
Due to demand we are commencing our public sessions w/c 21st May
 
If you have registered already we will shortly be sending your dates and the registration details 
 
With the publication of ISO 22301 in Mid May we know there are going to be lot of questions. Consequently, we have decided to to run both Breakfast Briefings and Webinars in June and July to outline the likely issues and how organisations can start to plan their transition to the new ISO Standard.  
 
We cannot yet confirm the exact dates, but are offering you the chance to pre-register for these events now as we expect demand to be high.
 
We are running four Webinar sessions starting on 30th May and are expecting to run the Breakfast Briefings during the fourth week of June and into early July. Venues are likley to be in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh. 
 
To BOOK for the online webinars please use the links above and to register register your interest in any of the Breakfast Briefings please email us here!
 
If you would like to know more immediately or find out how your organisation can get involved please call us on + 44 208 993 1599.
 

ISO Business Continuity Standard 22301 to replace BS 25999-2

 
BSI Business Continuity The BSI has confirmed that the new International Standard for Business Continuity - ISO 22301 Societal Security Business Continuity Management Systems  Requirements - will be officially published in mid May.
 
We expect that copies will be available for purchase from around the 15th May from this official link.  
 
With the publication of ISO 22301 it is expected that many countries around the world will formally adopt the International Standards Organization Standard for Business Continuity, enabling much greater international consistency to be realised between national requirements and better meeting the needs of global organizations.
 
In addition, as part of the ISO framework of standards, the new format helps create opportunities to manage what have often been independent systems in a more integrated way through common terms and processes. This should assist in better embedding of the various management systems available from ISO within organisations. 
 

3PQ wins Business Continuity award

 
Business Continuity initiative wins industry recognition The 3PQ project team has won the Best Contribution to the Business Continuity Profession prize at the annual BANG Business Continuity Awards recently held in London.
 
 
3PQ is a free resource designed to deliver practical help to those in involved in managing Business Continuity in the Supply Chain. It provides a structured framework of questions that help establish the BCM capability and priorities that is both consistent and adaptable to a wide range of organisations. 3PQ stands for Third Party Questionnaire.   
 
Gayle Hedgecock, Chair of the 3PQ committee commented at the awards “We are pleased to see that the 3PQ has been focused upon once again and that the team’s work has now been recognised with this prestigious award. Now is the right time for organisations to fully embrace this questionnaire and to review the Business Continuity Management (BCM) capability of their supply chain, as part of their preparedness for the London 2012 Olympics, any unusual events and for day-to-day operations.”
 
Vice-Chair of the committee Sara McKenna added "People need a wide range of tools to deliver effective BCM. With the 3PQ they have an easy, yet capable resource that can immediately help identify problems and build Continuity and Resilience in a difficult area. By making it free to use there really is no excuse for not addressing the supply chain risk with a bit more rigour."
 
The 3PQ project team deserves mention and big thank you should go to: Natalie Cooper, Robin Dunford-Green, Matt Innerd, Colin Ive, Roger Jarvis, Sharad Karia, Simon Maddox, John Robinson, Bob Simpson, Andy Tomkinson,, Bill May, Nestor Alfonzo Santamaria and Steve Yates. 
 
After six months in the wild and over 13,000 downloads the first review of the Questionnaire is currently being planned.
 
You can download and provide your feedback on this industry award winning initiative by visiting the 3PQ Project Page.
 
The awards night brought another prize for the Continuity Forum with Russell Price winning the Rocket Science award (we don't what it means either!) and Sara missed out by the finest of margins in the tighest vote of the night for the most helpful person in the industry award ... probably as she was just too busy to vote! 
 

 

 
  

BSIA highlights importance of standards in protecting data

 
With the average data breach costing UK firms around £1.9m annually*, and the new European data privacy framework asking for greater commitment from businesses on the way they handle data security, the British Security Industry Association's (BSIA) Information Destruction section is urging end users to understand how compliance with relevant industry standards can actively guarantee an improved level of protection against data breaches.
 

Phoenix gets disaster struck firms up and running within two hours

 
Phoenix Re:Cover Businesses that suffer a major disaster could be fully up and running in new premises within just two hours, thanks to a new simplified Business Continuity service from Phoenix.
 
Phoenix Re:Cover is a comprehensive Business Continuity (BC) package that includes disaster planning assessment, annual rehearsal days, emergency offices, replacement servers and internet and secure data backup. 
 

London Businesses Undertake Unprecedented 'Stress Test' Ahead of the Olympics

 
For the first time ever, businesses across London are coming together to undertake the Capital’s largest co-ordinated test of IT, telecommunications and transport requirements. 
 
The ‘Stress Test’, scheduled for 8 and 9 May 2012, aims to simulate conditions during the London 2012 Games later in the summer, when many businesses will employ alternative working arrangements such as flexible hours to alleviate disruption to their operations. 
 

ISO Call for Comments DIS 22313 Guidance for Business Continuity

The International Standards Organisation open consultation stage for ISO 22313 is still open and gives you the opportunity to review and comment on the draft public version of the standard. ISO 22313 provides the guidance relating to Business Continuity and ISO 22301 the specification standard.
 
This process is key the development process and represents the Draft International Standard (DIS 22313) is still open though and closes on the 11th of April 2012.
 
Its a great opportunity to review and feedback your comments on the draft version before it moves into the final stages of review and publication. All comments are reviewed and are an important part of the process. Do visit the link below to take part: 
 
THE REVIEW PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED 
 
For more information or advice please do get in touch directly here.
 

* ISO 22301 is the equivalent to BS 25999 part 2 and ISO 22313 to part 1 

Extreme Weather and Technology failure top the BCM event list

 
 
This years CMI Business Continuity Survey is available for download below and this year shows just how challenging 2011 was for organisations.
 
Overall the report details some interesting changes and reflects on the effects of the more social disruption and its effects than previous years surveys. 
 
Heading the list of incidents again was the winter weather That stuck hard nearly 30% of respondents  causing major disruption and impact of the snow and cold weather affected an additional 52% of the sample who report minor impacts on operations (82% total). This is the second year in a row that weather has been more problematic than IT issues that still hit 39% of organisations over the year up 5% on the previous survey.
 

Matom MD appointed to BSI Standards Committee for CBR

 
Mr Matt Tuck, Managing Director of Matom Ltd, has been appointed to represent both the Society for Radiological Protection (SRP) and the Continuity Forum at the British Standards Institute (BSI) as part of the Societal Security Management Committee (SSM/1).
 
Under the direction of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee, this committee is responsible for being the focal point for the development of standards for societal security in the UK and to monitor and mirror the work of ISO TC 223 - Societal Security, and CEN/BT WG 161- Protection and Security of the Citizen, and other appropriate relevant national and international bodies.
 
Matt will be contributing to work commencing on the CEN standard for CBRN - Education, Testing and Exercising that will reach across all European Countries (EU). This project has been initiated by the CATCH consortium, short for CBRN Advanced Training Curriculum The Hague. The CATCH project intends to develop certified training for the European market that will address all requirements and aims at meeting the demand for specifications for the education, training and exercising of first responders to CBRN incidents. 
 
Mr Tuck has 23 years experience in radiological protection in the nuclear industry and hazmat fields. He has been involved in operations, technical support, consultancy, and management for a number of international companies before joining Matom as Managing Director.
Russell Price, Chairman of the Continuity Forum, comments "it is vital that we constantly update the expertise and skills within Standards Committees cross the BSI and ISO to esure the resulting work is effective."
 
"We are delighted that Matt is joining SSM/1 adding his considerable expertise to the CBRN Exercise, Training and Testing project underway at CEN.  I am sure both the UK and European Committees will benefit considerably from his extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with the complexities and challenges faced in the CBRN arena."
For more information please contact Matom directly:
 
CONTACT Details
Website:  www.matom.com
Phone: +44 (0) 1286 881801
 
Matom - Counter Terrorism Solutions and Business Continuity Solutions
 

 

 

Human Aspects of Business Continuity - Free Event 29th March

The Human Aspects of Business Continuity - 29th March 2012
 
A special full day seminar from the Continuity Forum and DSM 
being held on 29th March in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
 
When a crisis hits an organisation, the Business Continuity focus is often placed on the physical recovery of infrastructure and the restart and protection of critical processes.  Its a stressfull business and to achieve this effectively you need your team to be in tip top shape, yet crises can come in many flavours that frequently cause real issues for the people you are counting on. How they react and cope is vital to your recovery!  
 
 
Understanding how the Human Factors in crisis interact with your management planning is key to ensure your organisation gets back to work quickly and effectively.

Phoenix and ICM Business Continuity unite Under Single Brand

 
ICM and Phoenix brands merge ICM Business Continuity and Phoenix brands to merge and deliver customer centric solutions for both partners and end-users
 
Phoenix, one of the leading providers of hosting, cloud and managed IT services in the UK, has today unified into a single integrated entity bringing together the strengths of both the ICM and Phoenix IT Services brands under one name – Phoenix.
 

ICM builds resilient Cloud for Honda in two year deal

 
ICM and Honda sign 2 year deal for Cloud ServicesHonda (UK) has signed a two-year deal with ICM to move its website into a public cloud environment. Previously hosted by another provider via a private cloud, the new platform will save the manufacturer running costs, whilst ensuring 24/7 website availability.
 
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