The 2006 Business Continuity Management Survey highlights the significant impact of disasters at home and abroad, including a potential influenza pandemic, and uncovers worrying signs of complacency.
The research findings, collected from 1,150 public and private sector managers, uncover a worrying gap between perception and reality. Key findings are:
Too little action: Although a majority of managers (77%) believe business continuity is viewed as important by their senior management teams, less than half (49%) say their organisation has a business continuity plan (BCP) in place.
Possessions, not people: Inanimate objects still dominate business continuity management (IT is covered by 67% of plans), despite organisations admitting a fear of losing people and skills.
Big picture ignored: Less than half (45%) perceive terrorist damage or environmental incidents (42%) as a major threat to business. This is despite one third of organisations experiencing disruption after the London bombings.
Shortcomings in communication: Only one in 10 organisations with continuity plans shares them with suppliers or shareholders, while just one in five communicates this information to customers - despite their being cited as key drivers for creating BCPs. And only 7% require all suppliers to have a BCP with one third (37%) of organisations requiring only business-critical suppliers to have plans.
