ISO 22301 Business Continuity

The continuous operation of an organization is a fundamental requirement. ISO 22301 is designed to ensure that an organization can operate under the most demanding and unexpected conditions.

Many organizations are required—for various reasons—to maintain “continuous” operations following a disruption, within pre-defined timeframes. ISO 22301 is structured to ensure operational continuity during the most challenging and unforeseen circumstances. By helping an organization establish the core principles of a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS), it safeguards personnel, preserves reputation, and enables the organization to continue functioning and trading.

The ability of an organization to operate continuously, in the event of a disruption—whether due to a serious disaster or an incident—is a primary requirement. ISO 22301 has replaced the British Standard BS 25999, the world’s first BCM standard, which was designed to minimize the risks of interruptions that could impact the entire operation of an organization.

It provides a foundation for the development and implementation of business continuity within an organization and enhances trust in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) relationships. It also includes a comprehensive set of controls based on best BCM practices and covers the full BCM lifecycle.

ISO 22301 is suitable for all organizations—large or small and across any sector. It is particularly well-suited for organizations operating in high-risk environments such as financial services, telecommunications, transportation, and the public sector, where the ability to maintain continuous operations is essential not only for the organization itself but also for its customers and stakeholders.

The benefits of ISO 22301 are numerous and span multiple business areas:

• Provides a common framework, based on internationally recognized best practices, for effective business continuity management.
• Proactively enhances an organization’s resilience to achieve key objectives in the event of disruptions.
• Offers a proven and effective method to restore an organization’s capability to deliver critical products and/or services at the agreed level and timeframe, despite interruptions.
• Utilizes established practices to manage disruptions effectively.
• Facilitates the protection and enhancement of the organization’s name and reputation.
• Offers a competitive advantage by opening access to new markets and helping the organization secure new business.
• Improves understanding across the organization of how it operates, aiding in the identification of improvement opportunities.
• Demonstrates compliance with relevant legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Provides the opportunity to reduce costs from internal and/or external BCM audits and may lead to lower insurance premiums related to operational interruptions.

It is crucial to highlight, especially in light of the impacts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, that beyond business continuity, organizations are now expected to implement procedures and policies ensuring broader resilience and operational capability, including the security of information they manage under specific conditions (e.g., remote work, online education).

For this reason, international best practices recommend extending the ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System to incorporate the requirements of complementary international standards, such as the ISO 27001 – Information Security, and
the ISO 22316 – Organizational Resilience.