HBOSis looking to
differentiate itself from its competitors by becoming one of the
first organisations to gain formal accreditation for business
continuity planning.
The bank plans to have key parts of its business audited
independently to ensure they meet the new BS25999 business
continuity standard, said Chris Green, head of business continuity
at HBOS.
"We want to use it to demonstrate compliance, but we also want
to use it as a market differentiator," he said.
Green will use this week's
Business Continuity Expo in London to highlight
how the new standard will help HBOS and other organisations target
their business continuity spend most effectively.
BS25999 is designed to help firms identify interdependencies
between different parts of the business, technology and processes.
It also enables them to identify key staff with specialist
knowledge.
The standard has attracted widespread interest, selling more
copies than any other UK standard since it was launched last
December.
The UK Accreditation Service is also developing a business
continuity accreditation process.
Green expects it will take three months to accredit a typical
business unit within HBOS. For firms starting from scratch, it
could take up to 18 months to build the programme, identify key
products and put in place recovery strategies.
Related article:
Scottish Power signs
up for standard
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