Business continuity management
Business continuity management (BCM) is the practice of assessing the risks to your business, and then planning to make sure the business can continue to operate and return to normal if the unexpected happens.
Some insurance companies are setting their level of business interruption premiums according to the speed at which an organisation is able to resume business. Several large businesses are starting to insist on suppliers having robust BCM processes in place before they will trade with them.
Despite recent high-profile threats to businesses hitting the news (terrorist attacks, extreme weather, petrol blockades, fires and trade disputes), research has found that the UK's small and medium-sized enterprises are gambling on their futures by not having these plans in place.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 places, amongst other duties, a statutory responsibility on local authorities to promote business continuity to all business and voluntary organisations within the borough. The Council’s BCM Lead has produced a template and guidance notes to fulfil that duty. This helps organisations to become more resilient, and the London Borough of Lambeth to remain a leading business and investment location in the capital.
Not all business continuity incidents pose an immediate threat to life or limb. Whatever the cause of the disruption, the impacts usually fall into one or more of these categories:
- loss or denial of access to premises
- loss or shortage of key staff or skills
- loss of technology or data
- loss of key suppliers, partners or third parties.
Use these documents to create your BCM: