Business Continuity (ISO 22301) Certification

ISO 22301 defines business continuity management system requirements to prepare for disruptive incidents and resume critical activities within an acceptable time. At its centre are the business impact analysis (BIA) and the recovery objectives derived from it — the RTO (recovery time objective) and RPO (recovery point objective). The current version is ISO 22301:2019.

• Finance, telecom and e-commerce organisations where disruption directly causes revenue loss
• Critical infrastructure and public service providers
• Manufacturers in a sole-source position in the supply chain
• Facilities operating in areas of high natural-disaster risk
• Service providers whose customer requires a continuity commitment

No general requirement; in regulated sectors such as finance, the competent authority's continuity and operational-resilience regulations can impose similar obligations. Enterprise customers require a continuity plan in supplier contracts.

• Clause 4 — Context of the organisation: internal and external issues, requirements of interested parties, determining the scope of the business continuity management system
• Clause 5 — Leadership: top management commitment, policy, roles and authorities
• Clause 6 — Planning: risks and opportunities, objectives and plans to achieve them
• Clause 7 — Support: resources, competence, awareness, communication, documented information
• Clause 8 — Operation: operational planning and control
• Clause 9 — Performance evaluation: monitoring and measurement, internal audit, management review
• Clause 10 — Improvement: nonconformity, corrective action and continual improvement
• Business impact analysis (BIA): identifying critical activities, dependencies and disruption tolerance
• Risk assessment and the choice of continuity strategies
• Defining recovery objectives: RTO, RPO and the minimum service level
• Business continuity plans and the incident-response structure
• Warning and communication arrangements
• The exercise and testing programme; feeding results back into the plan

1. 1ApplicationThe organisation's field of activity, headcount, number of sites and scope boundaries are determined. The number of audit days is calculated from this information.
2. 2Document Review (Stage 1)The management system documentation, scope definition, risk assessment and internal-audit/management-review records are examined; readiness for the on-site audit is assessed.
3. 3Certification Audit (Stage 2)It is verified on site that the system is implemented and effective. Findings are classified as major/minor nonconformity or observation.
4. 4Closing NonconformitiesThe organisation submits a root-cause analysis and corrective action plan. The certificate is not issued until major nonconformities are closed.
5. 5Issuing the CertificateThe certificate is issued after review by an independent decision-maker. The audit team cannot make the certification decision.
6. 6Surveillance AuditsA surveillance audit is carried out at least once a year during the certificate's validity. The first surveillance cannot exceed 12 months from the last day of Stage 2.
7. 7RecertificationAt the end of three years, the entire system is re-audited; it must be completed before the certificate expires.

Management system certificates are valid for three years. At least one surveillance audit is carried out per year during this period; the certificate is suspended if surveillance is not carried out. A recertification audit is completed at the end of the third year.

• Trade registry record and operating licence
• The organisation's organisation chart and headcount
• The list of sites/branches within scope
• The management system manual or process documentation
• Internal audit and management review records
• Legal permits, licences and operating documents, if any

There is no fixed list price; the cost is calculated based on the following variables and provided in writing in the quote.

• The headcount within scope (directly determines the number of audit days)
• The number of sites and branches; whether multi-site sampling applies
• The activity's risk level and process complexity
• The number of standards to be certified — an integrated audit reduces the number of days
• The three-year cycle: certification + two surveillance audits

Management system certification is carried out within the scope of ISO/IEC 17021-1. The certification body is accredited by an accreditation body party to the IAF multilateral recognition agreement (IAF MLA); This agreement establishes a chain of international recognition that ensures that a document issued in one country is accepted in other countries. EUROLAB has internationally recognized accreditation from IAF member accreditation bodies within the scope of ISO/IEC 17021-1.

The scope under which this scheme can be offered varies according to your product and activity; it is confirmed in writing at the quote stage.

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