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New business continuity guidelines are being launched today (22nd September) in Singapore. Entitled the ‘Business Continuity Management Technical Reference’ the document is the result of a project spearheaded by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board and SPRING Singapore. The Singapore Business Foundation is the largest industry federation in Singapore and represents over 15,000 companies.
Ian Clark FBCI, the Chair of the Business Continuity Institute’s Standards and Compliance Committee, was invited to participate in the development and review of the standard up to the final version that is being released today. Ian drew upon the resources of the BCI Standards and Compliance Committee as well as BCI members from neighbouring countries who freely made their time available to assist with the review process and ensure that the final release had been adequately examined by the team.
The following is the text of a letter sent by Ian:
Standardisation Division
SPRING, Singapore
Sirs,
SINGAPORE TECHNICAL REFERENCE FOR BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT
On behalf of the Business Continuity Institute, I am delighted to have been invited as a contributing party in the development of the 1st Singapore Technical Reference for Business Continuity Management. As the representative from the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) and as Chair of the BCI Standards and Compliance Committee I wish Singapore every success in its release and implementation.
An effective BCM programme requires total commitment from senior management, allocation of adequate resources resulting in the implementation of concise and effective Business Continuity plans. It is with pleasure that I note that the Technical Reference for Business Continuity Management is aligned with best practices in Business Continuity as advocated by the BCI and is phrased in such a manner that it can be effectively used by any organization within the targeted sector.
I am confident that this Technical Reference will raise the awareness of the need for a Business Continuity Management Programme and will assist companies in Singapore to implement these programmes. It is desirable that organizations remain vigilant against unforeseen incidents having the potential to disrupt business operations.
I wish to register my personal thanks on behalf of the Business Continuity Institute. Firstly for the invitation to participate, secondly for giving due attention to the recommendations and suggestions forwarded on behalf of the Standards and Compliance Committee and thirdly for the opportunity to endorse the furtherance of Business Continuity management awareness being offered by the release of this standard. The Business Continuity Institute and I wish Singapore every success in promoting the art and practice of Business Continuity management as a supporting discipline of Good Corporate Governance.
Sincerely yours,
Ian Clark
Chairman, Standards and Compliance Committee
Business Continuity Institute
Standard to Help Singapore Enterprises Ensure Business Continuity
Standard is A World First for Organisations
1. War, terrorist attacks, the sudden loss of a major supplier, power outages, floods and other natural disasters. These are incidents that many organisations hope to avoid but may have to face up to under unforeseen circumstances. To help organisations minimise such disruptions to their businesses, SPRING Singapore (Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board) today launched the first national standard for Business Continuity Management (BCM) for organisations at the ISO General Assembly Open Session.
2. The Technical Reference (TR) for BCM provides a framework for building resilience and capability for an effective response that safeguards the interests of an organisation's key stakeholders, reputation, brand and businesses.
3. The TR was initiated by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and facilitated by the Economic Development Board (EDB) and SPRING. Inputs from key industry players - such as Motorola Electronics, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Shell Eastern Petroleum, SP PowerGrid, Schering Plough, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific, Philips Electronics Singapore, the Association of Banks Singapore, Risk and Insurance Management Association of Singapore, Institute of Internal Auditors, DRI Asia - were also sought. In addition, government agencies including the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore were consulted as well.
4. By implementing the standard, an organisation will have the resources required and processes in place to continue their business in the event of a major business disruption. It allows them to achieve their critical business objectives and ensure continuity of the organisation as an ongoing concern.
5. "BCM is an ongoing process and there is no one solution that all organisations can use to totally prevent unforeseen disasters that may threaten their businesses," said Mr Loh Khum Yean, SPRING Singapore's Chief Executive. "However, organisations can adopt the TR to systematically assess their risks and their abilities to survive those risks. With BCM they can over time build better resilience into their organisation."
6. The TR is applicable to all Singapore-based enterprises. It specifies the requirements for those who want to build competence, capacity, resilience and readiness to respond to and recover from events that threaten to disrupt normal business operations.
7. The primary focus of the TR is on continuity management and recovery of critical business operations. This includes preventive measures (like risk reduction and mitigation encompassing physical and IT security), methodologies and processes to implement:
· Disaster recovery planning
· Business continuity planning
· Emergency response and management
· Crisis communications management
· Supply chain coordination
· Cooperation with industry and public authorities
8. Mr Lim Chye Beng, Chairman of the Technical Committee which drew up the TR for BCM, said: "In today's context, BCM should play a vital role in any successful organisation. This technical reference is designed to be the basic foundation of BCM for the manufacturing and service organisations in Singapore. With this reference, any organisation will be able to manage crises to minimise the impact to their business."
9. SBF Chairman Mr Stephen Lee said the BCM TR will enable businesses to tackle crises and unforeseen eventualities with an internationally recognised methodology, thus ensuring continuity of their business processes. He added: "For customers, stakeholders and others in the supply chain, the TR is also an assurance of the companies' ability to handle and recover from adversity. This will in turn enhance the reliability of Singapore as a business and investment hub."
10. The SBF will also help to publicise the TR to BCM training providers and consultants to help its 15,000 members implement BCM systems in their organisations.
11. There are real business benefits to be gained from the implementation of BCM within any organisation. For example, it:
· Enables an organisation to continue with its business operations
· Increases an organisation's resilience to business disruptions
· Minimises loss to the organisation resulting from the disruption
· Builds investors' and shareholders' confidence
· Enables an organisation to respond to different types of crises and disasters.
12. TR 19 has also been endorsed by the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII) in the United States and the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) in the United Kingdom as a BCM standard that is aligned to international BCM practices and can be applied to any organisation. This international recognition is critical in ensuring Singapore maintains our reputation as a safe, secure and trusted business hub.
13. "BCM is a key deliverable to the shareholders and investors of any public enterprise," said Mr Dan Steele, Chairman of the BCM Council, and Senior Director of Chartered Semiconductor Facilities Operations.
14. For any organisation, there are real benefits to be gained by implementing BCM. Dr Elizabeth Martin-Chua, Philips Electronics Country Management Executive Director and HR Vice-President, said the BCM TR would complement Philips Crisis Management initiatives. "The TR will enable us to respond to any crisis in a systematic and organised manner, such that our businesses can continue to function with minimal disruptions and our core stakeholders' interest are properly addressed," she said.
15. Mr Ko Kheng Hwa, Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board, said, "The launch of the business continuity management standard for organisations today is the first in the world, demonstrating Singapore's seriousness in developing business resilience capabilities. It is especially important in today's ever-changing global landscape where a secure business environment is much-sought after. We are committed to strengthening Singapore's attributes as a trusted hub for businesses and investors."
22nd September 2005
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