Business Continuity Management Guideline Essay

Introduction. Objectives and Guiding Principles

Objectives:

• Build greater organizational resilience.
• Safeguarding interests of key stakeholders.
• Helping management in minimizing disruptions.
• Maintaining adequate recovery capabilities
• Communicating business continuity management.
• Developing a continuity culture

Guiding Principles:

• Aligning with 2040 Oman national vision.
• Clear authority, accountability, and responsibility.
• Creation of a continuity culture.
• Integration with strategic decision making.
• BCM ownership and regular BCM review

Governance

Governance during the BCM implementation deals with the following elements:

• Use of current structures, processes, and documents;
• Outlining roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders;
• Establishing scope, objectives, and policy;
• BCM reporting;
• Maintaining BCM documentation;
• Addressing legal and regulatory concerns

BCM Roles and Responsibilities

Program Sponsor:

• Protects and enhances continuity culture
• Provides high-level guidance
• Informs the board on all business continuity matters

BCM Committee:

• Promotes a responsible environment
• Ensures continual business service
• Ensures testing and results of BCM, disaster recovery and emergency planning

BCM Team

• Managing BCM program implementation
• Rolling out BCM program
• Reviewing and proposing critical program change requirements

BCM Champions

• Contributing to development of BCM in designated areas
• Identifying and embedding BCM indicators

Business Impact Analysis (BIA)

BIA handles the following information:

• Critical processes;
• Critical dependencies;
• Recovery times for dependencies;
• Threats and exposures;
• Current controls;
• Activity prioritization

Recovery Strategies

Recovery strategy recommendations are:

• Cross skilling;
• Process guides;
• Resource planning.

Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

Sections of a BCP:

• Document administration
• Invocation and management process
• Process prioritization
• Interim measures
• BCP tools

BCM Training and Testing

Training and Development:

• Illustrates the roles and responsibilities of BCM.
• Delivered through current training protocols
• Ensures staff are assigned BCM roles

Testing and exercising:

• Facilitated discussions
• Desktop walkthrough
• Simulated exercises

References

ISO 22301 – International Standard; Societal security – Business Continuity management systems – Requirements.