What is BCMS? Why Is It Important? Keep your business resilient through unexpected events
Nowadays, many organizations are placing greater emphasis on Business Continuity Management due to the increasing uncertainties in the business world. These uncertainties come in various forms—natural disasters, wars, and numerous emergencies that can disrupt operations. BCMS (Business Continuity Management System) is a framework that enables organizations to prepare for, respond to, and recover from unexpected events. It is based on international standards and best practices, helping organizations build resilience and maintain continuous operations during crises.
BCMS is ?
Business Continuity Management System or BCMS is a framework for business continuity management in organizations that use to prepare for, respond to, and recover from unexpected events such as fires, natural disasters, system failures, or cyberattacks. The goal is to ensure that business operations can continue even during a crisis.
BCMS acts as a “life-saving backup plan” for the organization—helping prevent operational disruptions and enabling the business to resume activities as quickly as possible after an incident.
While general risk management focuses on identifying and mitigating potential risks, BCMS emphasizes the ability to “continue operations” during and after a major disruption. A key component of BCMS is the Business Continuity Plan or BCP plan, which outlines the steps for response, internal communication, and management of critical resources—covering actions before, during, and after an incident. The goal is to enable the organization to resume operations as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Good Practices and International Standards What Does a BCMS Include?
ISO 22301:2019 Security and Resilience – Business Continuity Management System
- It is an international standard that defines the operational framework for Business Continuity Management.
- It is the core standard of the BCMS framework that helps organizations reduce downtime, enhance recovery capabilities, and build resilience in business operations.
Business Continuity Institute (BCI) – Good Practice Guidelines (GPG)
- It represents an internationally accepted framework for the efficient implementation of Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS).
- Delivers actionable guidance grounded in the principles and requirements of ISO 22301.
NFPA 16000:2024 – Standard for Emergency, Continuity, and Crisis Management
It provides the requirements and guidance for managing crises and ensuring business continuity.
ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management
- A risk management strategy focused on identifying threats and implementing measures to mitigate potential risks.
- While it is not a specific standard, it serves as a key framework that supports organizations in identifying and addressing risks that could affect their business continuity management.
Core Processes of BCMS include?
The key steps in BCMS (also referred as BCM System, BCMS Framework, or Business Continuity Management System)
typically include the following essential components:
Business Impact Analysis or BIA
BIA is the process of analyzing and identifying critical business functions and processes. It also assesses the potential impact if those processes are disrupted with key values RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective).
Risk Assessment or RA
This step helps the organization understand what risks or threats may arise and how likely they are to occur.
Business Continuity Planning and Testing
Once the impacts and risks are clearly understood, the organization should develop a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) that outlines the steps for responding to emergency situations. This includes conducting regular drills to ensure that employees understand their roles and responsibilities during a crisis.
Ongoing training and periodic reviews
To ensure employees have a clear understanding of BCMS and to enhance their awareness of the Business Continuity Management process.
How to Manage a BCMS efficiently in an Organization
Managing a BCMS effectively requires coordinated efforts and collaboration across various departments and stakeholders.
What are essential components of BCMS? in-depth look into the BCMS
As specified in the ISO 22301 standard, the Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) considers the following seven key areas:
1.Context of an organization
An organization must understand its own context—such as its needs, risks, and relevant regulations and legal requirements—in order to appropriately define its Business Continuity Management approach.
2. Leadership commitment
Top management is a crucial role in driving the BCMS by establishing policies, allocating resources, and fostering an organizational culture that supports business continuity.
3. Business continuity planning
It aims to ensure that the organization is capable of managing risks and opportunities effectively, while establishing a clear framework for achieving its business continuity objectives.
4. Support
It covers resources, finance, personnel, communication, and document management, such as the Business Continuity Plan (BCP).
5. Operation
This part involves the actual implementation of the business continuity plan, covering planning, strategy development, and preparedness activities.
6. Performance evaluation
Undergoes internal audits and management reviews to ensure the system remains effective.
7. Continuous improvement
Focuses on corrective actions, including root cause analysis, preventive measures to avoid recurrence, and follow-up on the effectiveness of the corrections.
Benefits of improving management approaches within the BCMS
In summary, a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) is a business continuity framework that enables organizations to effectively respond to unexpected events through systematic risk analysis, management, and proactive planning. Organizations with a BCMS in place can maintain continuous operations, build trust with customers and stakeholders, and minimize potential impacts.
InterRisk Asia (Thailand) is a company specializing in Business Continuity Management (BCM) services. We provide comprehensive support ranging from Business Impact Analysis, Risk Assessment, Business Continuity Plan to training, drills, and consulting services in accordance with ISO 22301 standard.ur goal is to help organizations effectively and sustainable prepare for and respond to incidents of all scales.
Experienced consultants with hands-on BCMS expertise
Customized planning tailored to your business context.
Practical tools and templates, with expert support for testing and improvement.
