BUSINESS STANDARDS
is the quarterly magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment. Regular features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems and standards.
Business continuity comes to ICT
21 Oct 2008
Topics: ICT, ICT continuity, BS 25777
When BSI published PAS 77IT Service continuity management. Code of practice in 2006, it sparked such interest that it set the stage for a new British Standard. The result is BS 25777 Code of practice for information and communications technology continuity, which has been published as a draft for public comment and is targeted for publication before the end of the year. The standard is closely aligned with BS 25999 Business Continuity Management (BCM) and is designed to provide more specific guidance for organizations with key dependencies on information and communication technologies.
While BS 25777 is a standalone standard, it is based on BS 25999 and references this standard throughout. BS 25777 will not be a specification or requirements standard but will provide ICT continuity best practice guidance, and can be used in conjunction with BS 25999 to provide a comprehensive BCM system.
The development of BS 25777 is particularly timely: according to the 2007 Business Continuity Management survey by the Chartered Management Institute, "as in previous years, loss of IT and telecommunications were the most commonly perceived threats, reflecting the frequency of their occurrence". In the survey, 39 per cent of organizations reported disruptions due to loss of IT while 25 per cent highlighted "loss of telecommunications" as a major problem.
The new standard is a non-technical, practical guide to ICT continuity and is intended for business managers as well as technical personnel. It embraces all aspects of communication and computer systems, in an effort to make systems more resilient and ensure continuity in any situation.
As well as being closely aligned with BS 25999, BS 25777 complements other IT-related standards, including ISO/IEC 24762 Information technology - Security techniques - Guidelines for information and communications technology disaster recovery services, which provides guidelines on the provision of ICT disaster recovery services as part of a business continuity management system.
BS 25777 brings technology and business drivers together in order to both support the business and take it forward. It's not just about preventing risk - though that is part of the equation. The standard sets out practical processes and procedures to deal with risk.
In essence, BS 25777 is a BCM guidance document for the key ICT management discipline. As such, it sits well alongside the independent BCM assurance that comes from BS 25999.
For more information: www.bsigroup.com/oct08bs25777
Business Standards © 2007. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with the British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.
Are you "Fit to supply" 2012 Olympic Games?
Business Link, the support and networking agency funded primarily by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), is working with BSI to help companies in their goal to win contracts for the 2012 Olympic Games.
"Close protection services" in the UK are intended to establish and maintain a safe working environment for a person at risk. Close protection operatives - otherwise known as bodyguards - face the unique challenge of using their specialized training to protect their charges as they go about their duties.
World Standards Day 2008 was on 14 October and this year, the theme was "Intelligent and Sustainable Buildings". The day highlighted the role of standards in everything from safety requirements to new technologies in the design and construction of such buildings.
Castrol and Kitemark:
spreading the word
Castrol and BSI Product Services have teamed up for a joint marketing campaign to spread the word about the Kitemark scheme for Garage Services, which ensures that the standards of PAS 80 and the Kitemark are met and maintained.
Following extensive trials, BSI Management Systems is now offering an end-to-end Global Second Party Compliance service - called ComplytoSupply™ - to help large multinationals manage risk across multiple sites and global supply chains. These organizations may not know details about their suppliers' ethical status or management systems, especially those based in developing countries with minimal standardization. Under such circumstances, a certification-based approach to compliance is not always on the cards.
Question: what is the value of a "non-
standard" standard, such as a PAS?
The PAS, or Publicly Available Specification, forms part of our spectrum of standards information ranging from full international consensus to bespoke individual company advice.
Have a standards-related question for BSI or a comment on the website? We'll find the right person to answer.
