TrendBusiness continuity awareness, budget on the increase

Business continuity professionals have always had concerns about the amount of resources management gave them to build plans. Many of these professionals now breathe easier as the amount of money organizations are spending on continuity is on the rise, according to a survey jointly conducted by Strohl Systems and CPM-Global Assurance. The survey found that 35 percent of the 459 respondents have an annual business continuity budget over $500,000, compared to only 30 percent who said their budget was that high in 2003 and 26 percent in 2002. The survey also found that more organizations are building comprehensive business continuity plans. Sixty-nine percent said they had a plan that covers all business units, 22 percent reported that their plans only cover critical functions and nine percent said their plans only cover IT functions. Four years ago, only 55 percent had a comprehensive plan, while plans at 24 percent of the organizations covered only critical functions and 21 percent covered only IT functions. Other findings from the survey include:

Which department in your organization is ultimately responsible for business continuity planning? 30 percent said the information technology (IT) department was responsible for BCP, 21 percent said they had their own BCP department, 15 percent responded that risk management handled BCP, 10 percent said security, six percent said financial, and 18 percent chose Other.? Other replies included various committees, operations and emergency management departments

What is the title of the executive sponsor of your organization’s BCP program? 30 percent said a vice president was in charge of planning, 16 percent said it was a chief information officer (CIO), 13 percent said it was either a CEO or president, 11 percent said manager, eight percent indicated CFO and 22 percent said Other. Other responses included COO or committee.

How many years has your company had an established BCP program? 50 percent said they had a program in place for 1-5 years versus only 13 percent who have had a program for less than a year. Thirty-eight percent of organizations have had a program for more than five years. In 2003, 18 percent had a program for less than a year and only 32 percent had a program for more than five years

How many employees are involved in planning and plan maintenance in your organization? 47 percent responded less than 10, 30 percent said 10 to 50, 9 percent said 50-100, and 14 percent indicated that more than 100 employees were involved in the effort. In 2003, only 45 percent said they had less than 10 employees involved.

-see the complete results at Strohl Web site