Jermyn Consulting and Moody International offer BS 25999 certification

According to a recent survey by the Corby

Northamptonshire, U.K.—based Chartered Institute of Management only half of the managers surveyed had a business continuity plan in place. Where a plan existed, fewer than half of organisations had tested it. This situation is one of the driving forces behind the development of BS 25999, the first British standard for business continuity management. Demonstrating adherence to business continuity standards is becoming critically important for all organizations, large and small. For key supply chains, evidence of capability to provide continuity of service in the event of any major incident is essential. Achieving BS 25999 certification provides independent and auditable evidence of capability in this important area.

BS 25999 has been developed in two stages. BS 25999-1 the Code of Practice, is a guidance document providing best practice recommendations for business continuity management. BS 25999-2 the Specification, published last week, outlines the requirements for a business continuity management system. To enable organizations to prepare for certification to the new standard, Nuneaton-based Jermyn Consulting, a firm of specialist business continuity and IT disaster recovery advisers, has developed BS 25999 CPR, a Certification, Planning, and Realisation Service. Jermyn Consulting’s BS 25999 CPR solution says that its certification provides a process by which organizations can assess BS 25999 readiness and subsequently apply for formal assessment to achieve the standard. Gary Donlon, director of Jermyn Consulting, says that “BS 25999 CPR will guide organisations through the implementation (certification) process, whilst building business continuity capability and resilience.”

Here is how it works: Jermyn Consulting facilitates and project manages development of capability, to the point where the business is ready for certification with the standard. Jermyn Consulting’s BS 25999 CPR process begins with a Baseline Assessment to review existing resilience capability, from which a Gap Analysis and Certification Plan can be developed. The Gap Analysis identifies priorities for improvement which are implemented through a Realisation Plan. Once an organization is ready to apply for certification, Moody International Certification will conduct the pre-assessment and initiate the certification process. The U.K. Accreditation Service (UKAS) is currently evaluating the certification approach for BS 25999 with a small group of certification bodies, including Moody International Certification. Once the approach is agreed, Jermyn Consulting and Moody International Certification will offer a UKAS accredited certification of conformity with the standard.