As much as you would like it, life never goes to plan. Normally in business, you encounter and resolve problems in your stride. However, would you be able to keep your business running in the face of a major disaster? There are numerous risks that can threaten the continuity of your business. Beyond social unrest and unstable marketplace, have you considered power price-spikes or shortages, denials of site or data access, even biological, chemical or bomb-threats? What happens if a critical vendor goes down or if productivity plummets with a sector-wide industrial strike?

Business continuity management attempts to answer these questions. Its essence is to ensure that business operations continue to function even in the event of a disaster or emergency. Does your organization currently have business continuity (BC) in place; is your BC strategy realistic enough to offer practical solutions in the time of crisis? In your last emergency, did you invoke your business continuity plan at all and how would you measure its success? For those that would are in the process of preparing continuity plans, or are unsure if their current plans will work for them in an emergency, this program has been specifically designed for you, using leading-edge methodology to refocus and enhance your BCM efforts!

This 1-day course is intended for (but not limited to) those who will authorize and approve Business Continuity planning efforts, manage staff responsible for implementation and day to day maintenance, and who may have a high level role to play in the event of a disaster It contains a number of practical sessions, designed to build on the ‘taught’ components of the module, and to encourage debate and the sharing of knowledge and experience between students.

Students will leave the class with the information they need to understand Business Continuity Management, appreciate the value to the business in cost avoidance and risk reduction, and to support your Business Continuity Project and Recovery teams.

Learning Objectives

Participants will gain the following practical skills:

• The function of and the need for Business Continuity Management within an organization.
• The Business Continuity Management Lifecycle and the key components of a Business Continuity Management program.
• The value of Risk Identification and Assessment.
• Potential Business Continuity Management strategy options.
• A high level overview of the plans that form a Business Continuity Management response and how those plans can be kept up to date.

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for (but not limited to) those in Senior and Executive Management role who are responsible for the implementation or maintenance of Business Continuity Plans, including:

• Business Managers reviewing and/or approving Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans.
• Line Managers providing staff or other resources to Business Continuity Planning efforts.
• Business staff in organizations which practice Business Continuity Management.
• Service Provider staff members who will be involved in sales, marketing, or other support activities.

Prerequisite

There is no prerequisite for this course. It functions as a stand-alone course.

Materials

You will receive a course binder containing copies of presentation slides, case studies, exercises and suggested solutions.

What You Will Learn