In tough economic times, businesses from all sectors are keen to protect themselves against unexpected financial losses caused by the sudden interruption of activity, be it due to fire, natural disaster or public order incidents such as last summer’s widespread riots.
The ability of businesses to ‘bounce back’ from unexpected incidents such as these is absolutely key to long-term financial stability. Interruption of activity may happen at any time, and can have damaging effects on companies from all sectors who may suffer financial losses as well as reputational damage if they’re unable to deal with the effects both quickly and effectively.
The August riots of 2011 put business continuity planning firmly back on the agenda, in turn exposing many organisations’ failure to put in place contingency plans for such unexpected events.
This year, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have provided a further catalyst for business continuity planning in light of increased visitor numbers to major cities, large-scale events and disruptions to the transport network.
Although business continuity planning is at the forefront of many company agendas, what some fail to realise is that such plans should not sit alone. Rather, they ought to form part of an integrated strategy that includes security and information management as well as business continuity.
Certainly, there are elements in all three that are unique to a single function, but the majority of policies and plans in one functional area will have an impact on another (if not across all three).
In particular, plans should focus primarily on preventing incidents from occurring and, if they do occur, diminishing their impact on business activity. Security measures can play a crucial part in both cases. That being the case, reviewing them at the earliest possible opportunity should be a high priority given the very unpredictable nature of unexpected interruptions.
Effective business continuity planning
According to Chris Lawrence, the chairman of the BSIA’s Security Consultancies Section, an effective business continuity plan requires a number of security considerations: checking security measures, vetting employees and clients, staff training, planning for civil disorder and testing all of these plans.
One particular risk that can be effectively planned for – and dealt with by security measures – is that of fire. The integration of security and fire systems is becoming increasingly commonplace, and can provide an holistic solution to combating business risk.
Fire and smoke can be massively disruptive for businesses. According to the Association of British Insurers, fire damage cost insurers up to GB pound 3.6 million every day in 2009. Potential loss for the affected business itself is also considerable, taking into account the impact on processes and the cost of unplanned downtime.
Not only this, fire and smoke pose a significant threat to the health of staff and customers. In the worst cases, the short-term effects of such incidents are so severe that many affected businesses never recover, despite insurance pay-outs.
Fast detection of smoke and fire is crucial to ensure speedy emergency service response and evacuations. Moreover, the fire service is increasingly reliant upon visual verification when responding to emergency calls, so CCTV can also help ensure their speedy response. It also enables visual verification to take place at a distance without compromising the safety of individuals.
This is what makes this technology so important in guaranteeing the safety of premises, equipment and staff.
In addition, once the emergency response has been guaranteed, CCTV systems can prove invaluable in guiding the fire service to the location of the fire without putting lives at risk.
For more information on the BSIA and its member organisations visit the website
BSIA to provide advice and guidance at Global Security Summit
Next month sees the arrival of a brand new event to the security industry calendar: the Global Security Summit.
Organised by UBM Live and Pro-Activ Publications and to be held on October 10-11 at London’s Olympia, the show features an Advice Centre at which the BSIA will be offering tips on a range of topics of interest for both risk management and security professionals.
Come along to the Advice Centre to find out more from the BSIA on the following topics:
Technical advice and guidance
Members of the BSIA’s technical team will be on hand to provide advice and guidance on all things technical, including the impact of changing British Standards, how developments to the UK’s telecommunications sector will affect our industry and the impact of the forthcoming European industrial policy for the security sector.
Security procurement: how to avoid the pitfalls
Cost isn’t the only factor to consider when sourcing a supplier, and our experts will be at the show throughout to offer an insight into what to look for in a potential security provider.
Learn about the pitfalls of selecting a provider on the basis of cost alone, and find out about the very basic requirements that you should be looking for in a tender situation.
Boost your business with BSIA membership
For those companies already active in the security sector, membership of a Trade Association can deliver tangible benefits to your business, not to mention serving as a demonstrable mark of quality to reassure your customers.
Come along to the GSS Advice Centre to find out about the many benefits of BSIA membership – from standards development to lobbying and political representation – as well as the many discounts and services that membership offers.
For more information about the Global Security Summit’s Advice Centre access the event website
The Big Issue: CSSC continues to thrive during Paralympic Games
After several years of preparation, particularly within our industry, it’s hard to believe that the London 2012 Olympic Games are now over.
However, the excitement isn’t concluded yet as the Paralympic Games are now in full swing, continuing both the buzz of excitement that surrounded the Olympics and, of course, the demands on the police service and the private security industry that go hand-in-hand with some of the biggest and busiest events that London has ever seen.
One of the key initiatives to come out of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is the Cross-sector Safety and Security Communications (CSSC) project, which has successfully been cascading a stream of information across several business sectors since the beginning of the Torch Relay on 19 May.
Bringing together police, Government and private security sector, the CSSC acts as an information hub designed to efficiently disseminate regular Olympic security updates from the Metropolitan Police Service to various sections of the private security industry.
The BSIA – and in particular its project director for 2012, David Evans – has been acting as the sector lead for the security industry, and volunteers from member companies’ 24-hour Control Rooms are dedicated to ensuring the speedy and effective cascade of information via a range of channels (including e-mail and social media).
The CSSC project is a prime example of how partnership working between the police service, the Government and the private sector can be a success, and the initiative is set to continue after the Games as a key legacy of London 2012.
To stay up-to-date with regular updates from the CSSC, follow the BSIA on Twitter (@thebsia) or keep checking the dedicated London 2012 Communications web page
Amanda Beesley is PR and marketing communications manager at the British Security Industry Association