UK corporates are backing the creation of a British
Standard that will encourage their key suppliers to adopt best
practice in business continuity and disaster recovery
planning.
The standard, dubbed PAS 56, will allow companies to see at a
glance whether their suppliers have proper business continuity
plans in place and whether they regularly rehearse or test
them.
The Post Office, Sainsbury's, and Royal and SunAlliance are among
the firms backing the development of PAS 56, which is expected to
become a full British Standard in 18 months.
The specification for PAS 56 provides a framework for business
continuity planning and highlights potential risks that may not be
obvious to companies.
"It will help you prove that you are managing business continuity
well. Just by going through the checklists, firms will be alerted
to things they had not thought about," said Nicki Dennis, head of
risk market development at the British Standards Institute.
Businesses are already using the draft standard to demonstrate to
customers and insurance companies that they have business
continuity plans.
The BSI plans to set up a technical committee and a specialist
panel to develop a formal business continuity standard in the
summer.