ISO 22301 Certification

An organization’s ability to respond effectively to the unexpected determines its capability to survive in the long term. ISO 22301 standard measures an organization’s level of preparedness to maintain critical functions even during a crisis or unexpected incident

ISO 22301 certification outlines the requirements for a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). It provides a comprehensive and systematic process for organizations to incorporate adaptive and proactive measures to eliminate the potential factors that might cause disruptions.

ISO 22301 standards follow a dynamic approach to identify the amount and type of impact it is willing to accept following a disruption and tailor a business continuity plan sized correctly for the organization’s needs. It is a set of interrelated elements that provide a holistic framework for organizations to build resiliency and agility.

A Business Continuity Management System BCMS is based on the organization’s legal, regulatory, organizational, and industry requirements to ensure that a business is not vulnerable to disruptions. ISO 22301- Certified organizations follow a High- Level Structure (HLS) and incorporate the Business Continuity Management System standard into core business processes to achieve the desired outcomes. It consists of four components.

Four Components of BCMS

1. Formulating a business continuity policy.
2. Assigning roles to competent people and defining responsibilities.
3. Defining management processes relating to –
Policy
Planning
Implementation and operation
Performance Assessment
Management Review
Continual Improvement
4. Documented information supporting operational control and enabling performance evaluation.

These components help organizations to determine the needs and the necessity to establish business continuity policies and objectives. It addresses the cause of disruptions to prevent business failure. BCMS standards offer ten clauses that are part of the requirements to maintain consistency.

The Ten Clauses of ISO 22301 Certifications

SO 22301-certified organizations follow the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology that provides a simple and effective approach to manage changes and problems. It is an effective management tool used to improve the performance of organizations.

List of Organizations that Can Apply for ISO 22301 Certification

ISO 22301 is not a sector-specific standard; moreover, it seeks to strengthen the resilience and ability of an organization through the effective application of the Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). A list of organizations that can go for ISO 22301 Certifications:
Manufacturing Industry
Construction Industry
Food Industry
Automobile Sector
Healthcare Sector
Educational Organizations
Information technology Industry
Transport and Logistics
Pharmaceuticals
Textile Industry
Small Scale Industries

Any organization can become ISO 22301 certified, and the cost of ISO 22301 certification varies from organization to organization. The advantage it offers to an organization outweighs the cost incurred to achieve an ISO 22301 certificate.

Tips to Maintain ISO 22301 Certification Compliance

In order to maintain compliance with the ISO 22301 certification, an organization requires to keep a check on the following things:It requires implementing, maintaining, and improving a BCMS

It measures compliance with the business continuity policy

It reviews the preparedness and ability of an organization to continue its services during a disruption

It focuses on making an organization resilient through the effective implementation of ISO 22301 standards.

ISO 22301 Standard at a Glance

“An entrepreneur reduces risk in many places in order to focus on what’s most important, which is the PRODUCT.” - GUY KAWASAKI

Product is indeed the most significant element of any business, and it becomes essential to maintain business continuity to deliver goods and services to customers. ISO 22301 certification provides tools and techniques for organizations and strengthens an organization’s ability to manage the unexpected.

ISO 22301 Certification sets down the requirements for Business Continuity Management System BCMS. It enables an organization to take adaptive and proactive measures to ensure the survival and sustainability of the core business activities in the long run.

Is ISO 22301 Certification right for my Organisation?

ISO 22301:2012 was developed as the first international standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for helping organizations to develop Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). The purpose of this standard is to ensure the operational continuity of the business even in the face of external threats, such as catastrophic weather conditions, Cyber threats, and so on. Recently, we have all been witness to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic for businesses across the globe. Its impact on the global supply chain has impaired the economies of a majority of nations. This has hurt many businesses and even led to the closure of some of them.

By adopting the requirements of ISO 22301, you can make your organization resilient against any such risks and assure your customers and shareholders regarding the robustness of your processes. A Business Continuity Standard – ISO 22301 Certification is proof that your organization has a management plan in place that assigns roles and responsibilities to your staff in order to hold your fort in time of emergencies. The global acceptance of this standard ensures all the interested parties that the international best practices have been incorporated.

Benefits of ISO 22301

We all have witnessed how Coronavirus has changed the dynamic of world economies and how business operations can be stopped due to incidents or crisis. In such scenarios, ISO 22301-certified organizations manage to pave their way and maintain to generate a minimum level of output. Let’s understand the other benefits offered by ISO 22301 Certifications:

It provides a comprehensive approach to ensure a minimum level of production even during a crisis.
ISO 22301-certified organizations save a significant amount of money and time by eliminating the negative impacts of a disruptive event.
It improves cyber security and aligns with ISO 27001 Certification to attain business continuity in the Information Technology Industry.
ISO 22301 Certification compliance protects an organization’s brand value and helps in winning new businesses, clients, and customers. It enhances an organization’s assets, profitability, marketability, turnover, and reputation.

ISO 22301 Requirements

The business continuity Management System standard consists of ten Clauses. Out of these ten clauses, three clauses are introductory in nature, while the rest seven clauses define the mandatory requirements for ISO 22301 Certification.

Context of the Organization– Determining the scope of the Business Continuity Management System BCMS and ensuring compliance with all the legal and regulatory requirements. An organization shall identify both external and internal factors that might cause disruptions and affect its ability to achieve intended outcomes.

Leadership– The senior management should ensure the implementation of the business continuity policy and business continuity objective within the organization. The organization shall assign roles and responsibilities to employees and implement an effective communication system to measure ISO 22301 compliances.

Planning – An organization shall determine potential risks and opportunities to design appropriate plans and policies to address them accordingly. It requires an organization to establish its business continuity objectives and formulate policies to achieve them.

Support – An organization requires determining and providing the needed resources to implement BCMS successfully. It shall give necessary training and education to employees to increase their competency. ISO 22301 directs organizations to establish an active and productive communication system.

Operation – Clause 8 and clause 6 go hand in hand. Clause 6 comes in the domain of planning, while clause 8 is associated with the action. An organization shall conduct a risk assessment to detect weak areas and implement significant changes where required.

Performance Evaluation – An organization shall monitor, measure, analyse, and evaluate its BCMS performance. It requires an organization to conduct internal audits to identify non-conformities and eliminate them.

Improvement – It requires organizations to take corrective actions and implement necessary changes to achieve the desired outcomes. It follows the principle of continual development that promotes the sustainability, adequacy, and effectiveness of a BCMS.

Gap Analysis

Understand the prerequisites of ISO standards by analyzing each clause thoroughly. Analyze your system for any shortcomings. You may take help from any ISO consultant to get you through this stage.

Implementation

Prepare the required documents, records, and policies Perform internal audits and management review to understand gaps and practical realties Perform corrective actions to confirm conformities.

Certification

Fill the application form provided by the certification body Invite the auditors from certification body for audit and certification Get your management system ISO certified.

Stage One (documentation review) – At this stage, the auditors from the certification body verify that your documentation meets the requirements of ISO 22301.
Stage Two (main audit) – In this stage, the realities of your processes are matched with your statements in the documentation for their compliance with the requirements of ISO 22301 standard.

The certification process goes further. Click here to view the next steps to the ISO certification process

ISO 22301 Frequently Asked Questions about Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS)

Question: What is ISO 22301?
Answer: ISO 22301 is an international standard for implementing business continuity management systems in an organization. It helps the organizations to identify risks to its business continuity and strategize measures for its prevention and mitigation.
Question: What type of organization can apply for it?
Answer: ISO 22301 can be applied to any type of organization, regardless of its size or sector. Any organization that aims to build its business for a long haul should implement the requirements of ISO 22301.
Question: What is the cost of ISO 22301 certification?
Answer:There is no predefined cost for ISO 22301 certification. It depends upon several factors, such as complexity of your business, total workforce, number of office branches, branch location, etc. Once you have made up your mind for the certificate, you must contact a certification body that will analyze the above factors and quote a price for you.
Question: How can I achieve ISO certification?
Answer: Once you have built and implemented your BCMS as per the requirements of ISO 22301, you must undergo internal audit and management review. After closing the gaps that were identified in these processes, you must invite a certification body to conduct the audit and award you with ISO 22301 certificate.
Question : For how long does the certificate remain valid?
Answer : ISO 22301 certificate is valid for three years from the date of receiving it. However, in order to maintain the certificate, you must undertake annual surveillance audits.