IRCA creates a new programme to assess business continuity

On 1 July, IRCA launched its Business Continuity Management Systems Auditor certification, developed in conjunction with the Business Continuity Institute.

The programme is based on BS 25999, the world’s first British Standard for business continuity management, which helps organizations minimize the risk of disruptions to normal operations due to adverse incidents. The standard is particularly relevant to organizations in the finance, transport and the public sectors where the ability to continue operating is essential to the organization, its customers and its stakeholders.

Business continuity is becoming increasingly important in today’s globalized world and the programme was developed as a response to international demand for competent auditors of BCMS. Any organization, large or small, can be fatally affected by disruption to its normal practice, such as natural disasters, the failure of a key supplier to deliver or the discovery of a serious product fault.

Lyndon Bird, technical director of the BCI, said: ‘Today businesses operate in an increasingly fast-paced global environment, facing many potential risks. As a result, business continuity management is increasingly high on the boardroom agenda and auditors who have been certified as competent at auditing BCMS will be ever more in demand.’