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BSI Chairman delivers annual lecture to Business Continuity Institute

08 May 2009

British Standards Institution Chairman, Sir David John, recently delivered the Business Continuity Institute’s (BCI) annual lecture. Speaking to an audience of Business Continuity Management (BCM) professionals at the BT Centre in London on 30 April, Sir David said that the explosion at the Buncefield Oil Depot in 2005 which affected BSI’s testing and certification premises in Hemel Hempstead, had put BSI’s own BCM plans to the test.

BSI in the spotlight

After highlighting several of the threats to business which have hit the headlines over the last 12 months – industrial action, flu pandemic and severe weather conditions to name a few – Sir David said that having BCM plans in place at the time of the explosion enabled normal operations to resume very quickly.

"In essence, through the BCM plans we had in place, we were able to be mostly operational very soon after the event, ensuring that customers were kept informed and even able to provide some services to them, despite having to close some of BSI’s premises. The explosion provided some useful learning points and opportunities for improvement: for example, certain materials and construction techniques will be used in the future to minimize damage to buildings."

BS 25999

Sir David said that a growing number of high profile organizations, including Fujitsu, Accenture, IBM, Scottish Borders Council and Scottish Power, are now certified to the British Standard for BCM, BS 25999-2. BSI is also working with the UK’s Department of Health to implement BCM arrangements.

Sir David said, "Business continuity and risk within financial services is a particular focus in the current climate and the work with the Department of Health highlights a way in which BS 25999 and supporting materials can be tailored to a specific sector, particularly given the key focus that BS 25999 places on organizations and individuals having the right competencies."

Respond to survive

Sir David summed up the importance of business continuity planning with a quote from Charles Darwin: "It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change."