Business Continuity
Business continuity management systems and business continuity planning are now more than ever crucial to both small and large organizations from any sector. Every organization can be affected by a disruption of business operations, which in the worst case can be fatal for the organization and lead to bankruptcy. The BS 25999 standard helps organizations minimize the risk of disruptions to continued operations because of a major disaster or a minor incident. The purpose of our Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS) Auditor Certification Programme is to provide confidence to accredited certification and to business and industry that auditors certified to this programme are competent.
The IRCA BCMS Auditor Certification Programme has been developed in partnership with the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), in response to the demand for competent auditors of Business Continuity Management Systems. A pre-requisite of the programme is to pass the BCI Certificate Examination (CBCI), be already a professional member of the BCI, or have passed an alternative examination, accepted by the BCI as equivalent to CBCI.
The programme supports third party certification: we certify the different categories of auditors - those employed by certification bodies/registrars, consultants and internal auditors. We also develop and promote good auditor training and auditing best practice.
Benefits to organizations
- Confidence that IRCA certified auditors have the appropriate training and skills
Benefits to certification bodies
- Reassurance that IRCA auditors employed to audit organizations' business continuity management systems for certification to BS 25999-2:2007 are competent and committed to continuing professional development
Benefits to auditors
- Recognition of your ability to conduct process-based audits against BS 25999-2:2007 for clients worldwide
IRCA's BCMS programme is based on these standards:
- BS 25999-1:2006, Business Continuity Management. Code of practice
- BS 25999-2:2007, Business Continuity Management. Specification
- ISO 19011:2002, Guidelines on Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems auditing