The new Companies Act and King III make it the board's responsibility to ensure that the company has appropriate risk mitigation strategies in place, and can continue to operate when a crisis occurs.
In parallel with this greater regulatory focus on Business Continuity, bodies like the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) have issued standards to help companies establish adequate Business Continuity Management programmes.
"Business Continuity Management needs to be aligned with international best practice, but, at the same time, because it goes to the heart of the business, it must also be customised both to the business as a whole, and to the role played by the individual," said Peter Westcott, BCM Advisor of ContinuitySA. "ContinuitySA has a wealth of experience and practical knowledge, which is incorporated in our training programmes to ensure that companies know how to apply and implement best practices. We also gear each training programme to the needs of the different audiences-executives need a different type of training than business continuity practitioners, for example."
ContinuitySA's training provides guidance on how to develop, implement and manage an effective business continuity management programme and system, based on international standards. All the courses are offered through the company's Complete Continuity Training Academy.
Among the Academy's offerings is a customised two-hour Business Continuity Management Programme, aimed at giving executives high-level awareness of business continuity and the issues for which they, as executives, will need to be accountable and responsible. The session defines business continuity management and covers the reasons for implementing a business continuity management programme, as well as the benefits. The key benefits include protecting shareholder value and ensuring minimal service disruptions to customers. A more detailed two-day course introduces these concepts in more detail for middle managers and business continuity plan owners.
The two-day ICT Continuity Training is aimed at the CIO and relevant IT professionals responsible for the continuity of ICT services within their organisations, while the five-day Complete Continuity Practitioner Programme is designed to equip business continuity practitioners in all aspects of implementing, managing and maintaining an effective programme for business continuity management.
Customised courses are compiled in consultation with ContinuitySA's Business Continuity Management Advisory Services to ensure that they deliver what is required, and are aligned with the client's operational context.
Forthcoming courses include:
To find out more, go to www.continuitysa.com.
