The BCI petition (which is available to sign at: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Continuity) is pushing for a long overdue department specifically tasked with looking after business continuity. Currently within Government, the responsibility for business continuity falls under a wide range of Ministries including (but not limited to) the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, the Cabinet Office, Communities and Local Government, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Defence, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Health, Work and Pensions and the Departments of Justice and Transport.
In truth, there are so many central Government departments touching on aspects of business continuity. That evidences the importance of the subject, and yet no single organised body is overseeing its management.
Speaking to info4security.com about the petition, Richard Fitzhugh (content manager for Business Continuity Expo), commented: “Where there’s a dilution of activities among all of the various Ministries and Government bodies, there will also be dilution of action and responsibility. Without a keystone to provide oversight across all Ministries with activities and responsibilities in this area, it’s nigh on impossible to have a coherent strategy for the assurance of business activities. Ultimately, this will lead to a genuine threat for the organisations that provide the nation’s critical services: employment, finance, utilities, transport, food and, of course, security. It’s not simply a question of cogent thinking and sensible directorial infrastructure. It underpins the very fabric of our society.”
Round table discussions
The BCI and Business Continuity Expo initiated the petition after hosting several round table discussions with business continuity professionals both in 2007 and in the run-up to this year’s event, which takes place at London’s Excel Exhibition Centre from 2-3 April.
Fitzhugh continued: “Frankly, businesses are confused. One of the foremost experts in the industry recently compiled an easy-to-use guide on who to call when an incident occurs, which was intended as a ‘wallpaper’ reference for business continuity practitioners. The guide ended up running to over 200 pages. That cannot be right. While the CCS has made incredible strides in pushing forward an agenda of resilience, there still needs to be a simplification, or at the very least a clarification, of where the buck stops for business continuity at a gold command level. All of my consultations with the industry show unequivocal support for this.”
Also speaking exclusively to info4security.com, David Honour (from www.continuitycentral.com) added: “It’s Best Practice within companies and organisations to take an holistic approach to business continuity, and to avoid a ‘silo’ approach whereby different departments are left to their own devices. To achieve this, a central business continuity leadership is established with responsibility for promoting, co-ordinating and managing the business continuity systems. This is not only cost-effective and efficient, but also ensures that no area is missed from the business continuity plan. It’s absolutely vital that central Government follows business continuity Best Practice. To do so, it needs to designate a lead department that will take a central co-ordination and management role for business continuity activities.”
Co-ordinated policy and consistent strategy
The BCI’s spokesperson Lyndon Bird said: “While there is no doubt that the British Government is strongly supportive of the general aims of business continuity, there’s a perception of duplication of effort and no overall direction across the various departments. By appointing a lead department to co-ordinate policy and implement consistent strategies, we believe that both the UK’s domestic business resilience and its international trading performance will be enhanced. The UK will then be seen as a safe, secure and consistent place in which to base and build corporate operations.”
The Business Continuity Institute was established in 1994 such that members could obtain guidance and support from fellow practitioners. Through its Certification Scheme, the Institute provides internationally-recognised status to its members, as professional membership of the BCI demonstrates their undoubted competence in carrying out business continuity management to a consistently high standard.
For further information on the BCI log on at: www.thebci.org