While business impact analysis (BIA) is seen by many as the backbone of any business continuity management system (BCMS) it is lacking a formal methodology. Here, Alberto G. Alexander, Ph.D, MBCI, details nine methodological steps for developing a BIA and discusses information gathering methods and BIA project management aspects.

The development of a business continuity strategy is probably one of the most complicated steps in building a business continuity management system. An appropriate BCS demands the usage of a methodological approach and creative thinking. In this article Alberto G. Alexander, Ph.D, MBCI, presents a methodology for developing an effective BCS and the managerial aspects which need to be considered to stimulate a creative thinking environment.

In an article aimed at providing assistance to those starting out in business continuity, CMAC overviews the basics of business continuity and offers a useful framework for writing your first business continuity plan.

Can I really rely on my entire workforce to support a recovery? Robert Clark advises business continuity managers to revisit employee availability assumptions in business continuity plans.

BSI, the business standards company, has published a list of tips to help those new to the business continuity profession.

This article by Patrick Roberts and Peter Noble highlights five behavioural insights that can be applied to any organization trying to manage change and uncertainty as we slowly move towards a post pandemic world. There is no magic algorithm, but these reflections will assist organizations develop and revise their continuity plans.

In this article Dr. Goh Moh Heng and Jeremy Wong look at some of the difficulties that SMEs face when it comes to making business continuity plans and how a simplified methodology could make things easier.

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CGMA) has developed new business continuity guidance to provide finance professionals with a foundation on which to develop their approach to BCM.

The use of playbooks by business continuity managers to help prepare for specific types of incidents in growing in popularity and one area where such playbooks can be helpful is in planning for natural disasters. QBE North America, an insurance provider, has developed a useful checklist to assist...

Charlie Maclean Bristol discusses whether you should consider likelihood when conducting a risk assessment as part of the business continuity process. Do you need to know how likely it is that a threat will become an actuality; or is knowledge of the impact of the threat enough?

If you’re faced with the task of choosing business continuity management software this can often seem overwhelming. In this article, RiskLogic provides a checklist of the important factors you should look for whilst making a decision.

One of the big challenges for those of us who work in resilience is convergence; largely it’s the convergence of technologies. In this article, Jim Preen looks at the subject and how it may impact tomorrow’s business continuity management.

Sometimes complicated technical approaches get in the way of progress says Bryan Weisbard, CPA, CFE. In this article, he sets out five steps for creating a practical, strategic business continuity program.

One year on from the completion of the ISO Technical Specification for BIAs, ISO/TS 22317:2015 Societal security -- Business continuity management systems -- Guidelines for business impact analysis (BIA), Jayne Howe examines the realities of the standard and combines this with some practical advice on how to conduct BIAs.

This resource explores what the business impact analysis (BIA) is, how to get started, and provides access to an easy to use BIA and Risk Assessment Worksheet to carry out your first business impact analysis or to improve existing BIAs.

While there is no general definition for ‘Agile' project management, it can be seen as using a collection of lightweight approaches and methods in order to handle complex challenges. Benedict Gross believes that some of those concepts can be transferred to business continuity management; and to the BIA in particular.

Defining the recovery time objectives (RTO) for your activities is one of the most critical things the business continuity manager will carry out. Get them wrong and the whole basis for your recovery strategy is flawed. Often, rather than being an objective assessment, the RTO is driven by internal politics and by managers wanting their part of the organization (and hence themselves) to be seen as important.

Charlie Maclean Bristol, FBCI, FEPS, explains how you can improve your business continuity plans by altering the format and following five key steps.

Samuel Shanthan has worked in consultancy and industry for over 15 years and in this article seeks to capture the lessons learned from the many BIAs he has conducted, with the aim of helping other business continuity professionals who are experiencing difficulties with BIAs.

When a business continuity management system (BCMS) has been established and implemented, a serious managerial challenge evolves: the BCMS has to be maintained and put into a continuous improvement process. In this article, Alberto Alexander. Ph.D, MBCI, looks at the activities that need to be performed to maintain and improve a BCMS.