The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) has revealed that it now believes that more and more businesses are finally instigating proper business continuity planning procedures in order to prevent worst case scenarios from having a serious impact on their ability to operate.
A recent survey from the BCI found that 77 per cent of firms can identify and respond to disasters far more quickly than in the past and in each case this is because there is a proper plan of action prepared in advance.
The BCI ran a significant awareness campaign at the end of last month, in an attempt to spread the business continuity message across the entire business community, hoping to improve the general health of firms after they have suffered unforeseen occurrences.
The study found that less than half of businesses were unable to continue normal operation after a period of disruption and that this was largely attributable to well laid out business continuity plans.
UK continuity expert Keith Tilley said that the relationships between a business and its clients were at risk if disruption followed a natural disaster, strike or other hazard.
A total of 221 respondents said that their firms had implemented business continuity plans and 55 per cent said that as a result they had been able to make significant savings or protect their revenues.
The BCI’s Lyndon Bird said that the week-long event to raise awareness was aiming at a worldwide impact. The centrepiece was an international video conference that was controlled from and chaired in London.
Mr Bird said that business continuity needs to be thought of in the same terms as wider management of resources within businesses and he hopes that proper understanding of its potential will benefit firms of all types.
Mr Bird was also keen to emphasise the fact that this year his organisation is focusing on the insurance issues associated with business continuity management. He pointed out that thus far the definitions were vague and the comprehension inconsistent in this area.
