ISO 22301 is the standard related to security and resilience. It satisfies the requirements of the
Business Continuity Management System. The prime focus of ISO 22301 is to recover from any unexpected incidents or disruptions. It allows them to recognize potential threats that can harm a business. The ongoing version of ISO 22301:2019 covers the high-level specification regarding the Business Continuity Management System.
What is ISO 22301?
ISO 22301 is a standard applicable in the Business Continuity Management System published
by the International Organization for Standardization to fulfill the requirements of planning,
establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining, and improving
document management systems.
It will be protecting an organization from disruptions.
ISO 22301 applies to all kinds of organizations regardless of size, nature, and type of
organization.
There are many of the standards related to ISO 22301:
● ISO 22313:2020
It guides how to use ISO 22301. It is related to security and resilience.
● ISO/TS 22317:2015
It guides Business Impact Analysis. It is related to societal security.
● ISO/TS 22318:2015
It guides supply chain continuity.
● ISO/TS 22330:2018
It provides guidance to people on business continuity.
This all is related to the business continuity management system.
Structure of ISO 22301
ISO 22301 is the international standard for BCM (BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT). It
is developed to help organizations by preventing, preparing, responding, and recovering from
any kind of disruptions and unexpected moves.
ISO 22301 standards enable the framework to design, implement and manage business
continuity management systems.
This ISO structure defines the checklist of an ISO 22301 and the procedure engaged in ISO
22301.
Relation between ISO 22301 & Business Continuity Plan
ISO 22301 and Business Continuity Plan are related to each other as they both are intended to
protect an organization from threats, disruptions, and disasters. ISO 22301 is the standard and
BCP is the document that protects an organization from the threats and disruptions from
unexpected disasters.
Benefits of ISO 22301
The benefits organizations can have of ISO 22301 are,
- ISO 22301 enables continuity in business operations whenever any kind of disruption occurs. It provides some comprehensive approach to continue the process to keep business unaffected.
- Under ISO 22301, with the help of BCMS, the maintenance of product delivery and services are performed in any circumstances.
- ISO 22301 enables to secure the revenue, personnel assets, profit, and reputation of the organization along with declination of failure.
- ISO 22301 provides authentication to assure trust among stakeholders and acquire guides a good position in major markets.
ISO 22301 Checklist
ISO checklist is required to form a business recovery plan. These required checklist points are
derived from different sections. Some of the successful points of the checklist are discussed
below:
Section 5: Leadership
In this, the team is formed to decide the way of the implementation, check the maintenance,
and the way to handle the plans.
Section 6: Planning
In the planning section, an organization needs to define the requirements, product or service
they provide, legal needs, and desires of stakeholders. According to this plan, the final
document of BCP is designed.
Section 7: Support
In the support section, all kind of supporting documents is maintained related to the business
continuity management system.
It contains documents related to the training programs, document maintenance programs,
global awareness, and communication programs.
Section 8: Operation
After developing the documents related to the BCMS program, training program, and so on. It is
a time of execution of the program.
Section 9: Performance Evaluation
Performance evaluation can be done through the process of an organization. Internal and
external audits play a major role to measure performance and growth.
Section 10: Continual Improvement
The processor documents designed show the loopholes of the program if there are any. In this
section, an organization takes appropriate action to handle them.
How to implement ISO 22301?
The implementation process of ISO 22301 to reduce the risks, secure assets, and manage a
business in critical situations.
- Before the implementation of ISO 22301, begin with communication among the team and increase their engagements.
- Collect the feedback from customers on the current business continuity management process.
- Decide the team who will help you to define the implantation process effectively.
- Define and assign the roles and responsibilities to team members with a deadline.
- Develop an ISO 22301 concept smoothly and train your team.
- Regularly cross-check your ISO 22301 system to assure its functioning.
List of mandatory processes and documentation in ISO 22301
The list of mandatory processes and documents in ISO 22301 is discussed below:
- Scope of the QMS
- Quality Policy
- Quality Objectives
- Evaluation Criteria
- Suppliers Selection
- Six mandatory procedures required by QMS ISO 9001 are:
- Control of Documents
- Control of Records
- Internal Audit
- Corrective Action
- Preventive Action
- Control of Non-conforming Products
Which Industry refers to and implements ISO 22301?
ISO 22301 is standard for Business Continuity Management System, and the main industry that
focuses on and implements ISO 22301 is the Corporate industry. These standards include
leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, and improvements that
benefit the growth of a corporate system.
ISO 22301 certification
ISO 22301 is International Standard for the Business Continuity Management System which is
published by the International Organization for standardization.
It provides a framework to develop incident response and recovery procedures.
The process of how one can get the ISO certificate:
- Start attending courses related to BCMS audit certification.
- Try to qualify for the examination to get the certification.
- Give appropriate application fees for certification.
- Once you will qualify for the assessment of certification, you will be provided the certificate with validation of three years.
Conclusion
ISO 22301 is a part of the international standard that comprises that the organization has an
effective Business Continuity Management System. ISO 22301 have the content including
Improvement, Leadership, Planning, Support, Context of the Organization, Operation and
Performance evaluation. Providing authenticity, it helps an organization to gain trust from the
clients as well as the employees.