Friday, July 16, 2010

ERM-BC-COOP: BSI to compare DHS BCM standards

 

Reston, VA -- http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/sbwire-50468.htm -- 07/15/2010 -- BSI is hosting an important free webinar on July 20, 2010 at 1:00 pm ET to review the three Business Continuity Management (BCM) standards recently adopted by the Department of Homeland Security for the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-Prep).

BSI’s Product Manager for the Americas, Robert Whitcher, will provide a brief overview of three standards, BS 25999, NFPA 1600 and ASIS SPC-1, and discuss some of the similarities and differences among BS 25999, NFPA 1600 and ASIS SPC-1.

Business Continuity Management helps organizations minimize the risks involved in the event of disruption of business. With a certified BCM plan in place, businesses develop resilience and recovery strategies that protect staff, preserve the organization’s reputation and provide the ability to continue operating during the most challenging and exceptional circumstances.

To register for this free webinar, go to http://www.bsiamerica.com/bcmwebinar

According to the blurb on the registration page, "Robert Whitcher, BSI’s Product Manager for the Americas, will provide a brief overview of three standards the United States Government has chosen for their Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-PREP). He will discuss some of the similarities and differences among BS 25999, NFPA 1600 and ASIS SPC-1. Come prepared to ask questions so you can determine which standard is right for your organization.

"Whitcher is the Americas Product Manager for IT Service Management (ISO/IEC 20000), Information Security Management (ISO/IEC 27001) and Business Continuity (BS 25999) at the BSI. He is an Information Security and IT professional with over 34 years experience within the IT industry and more than 24 years experience in Information Security, Privacy and Business Continuity. "

It will be interesting to see

    (a) how neutral the presentation will be

    (b) if it will address enterprise risk management (vs. just IT D/R)

    (c) if it will be made clear that DHS accepts NFPA 1600 and ASIS SPC-1 as well as the British BSI-25999.

Caveat: Having last looked at BS 25999-1 and -2 in draft form, I am less than enthusiastic about the British standard. My main problem with BS 25999 - and I have several issues with the document - is that the draft version failed to mention avoidance or mitigation, two key components of risk management. (It may have been corrected before the final release.)

BSI is trying very hard to turn BS 25999 into "the" business continuity management standard with an International Standards Organization ID, this despite NFPA's acceptance well beyond the borders of the United States.

The Webinar should prove interesting.

John Glenn, MBCI
Enterprise Risk Management Practitioner
Hollywood - Fort Lauderdale Florida

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