Issue 2 2009 > Earning BCI Certification
Earning BCI Certification
In August of 2009, Martin Cole, systems consultant & trainer for Crown Asia-Pacific, earned BCI Certification. Martin has been working in the records management industry for 15 years. He was born in Australia and is currently living in Singapore.
Martin supports and trains the staff at Crown’s Management Centers. He ensures that Crown’s IT systems are being maximized and used to their full capacity including customizing systems to meet client needs and developing disaster recovery and business continuity planning programs.
The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) was established in 1994 to enable individuals to obtain guidance and support from fellow business continuity practitioners. The institute currently has over 4,800 members in more than 85 countries.
Business Continuity Management (BCM) focuses on assuring continuous business processes and is a major factor in an organization’s survival during and after a disruption. In conjunction with an integrated Risk Management initiative, BCM is a comprehensive management process that identifies an organization’s potential threats and includes a framework for building an effective response that safeguards the interests of its stakeholders.
Martin commented, "BCM has been a growing concern for many of our clients over the past few years. From the threat of terrorist attacks to global pandemics, the case for good BCM practices has strengthened considerably. We’ve seen many governments flex their muscles with legislation such as Basel, Sarbanes-Oxley, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the EU’s Data Privacy Directive, and other acts, and some are now eyeing the Business Continuity arena.
"The Singapore government, for example, created a S $30 million fund in December of 2008 to help companies certify to their government standard SS540, and the word is that BCM readiness is planned to be an assessment criteria and possibly even a future requirement for the award of government contracts.
"As a provider of secure, offsite storage for business information, vital records and media, Crown has always been closely tied to BCM principles. By continuing to enhance our own knowledge, understanding of BCM and implementing its good practices, Crown is again demonstrating our commitment to meeting our client’s needs."
BCI Certification
In 2007, the Business Continuity Institute introduced the BCI Partnership and the Certificate program. The BCI Certification has created a benchmark for the assessment of best practice and encourages the enhancement and further development of related skills. The BCI Certification has been accepted internationally and was developed and published in co-operation with the Disaster Recovery Institute
International of the USA. The Certification entails a five day training course and successful completion of a two-hour written examination.