Whether an international corporation or a small business, developing and utilizing
a Business Continuity Management (BCM) Plan protects companies and
their personnel, facilities, materials, and activities from the broad spectrum of risks
that face businesses and government agencies on a daily basis, whether at home or
abroad. Although crises are unpredictable, they are not unexpected. Disasters are
part of the human condition, whether they result from a tornado, an earthquake,
or a pandemic; from an industrial accident or a structural failure; or from criminal
activities or terrorist attacks. As the global business footprint increases, so do
the risks faced by companies, whether these are threats posed to extended supply
chains, result from organizational and technological dependencies, occur due
to political and social instabilities, effect information technology (IT) vulnerabilities,
result from maturing tactics by organized crime, insurgency and terrorist groups,
intrastate conflicts, or occur due to a myriad of natural disasters. While crisises can
be devastating in their effects, often companies focus more on market and credit
risk rather than on those risks that directly affect people. Despite being more personal
in nature, operational risk management has yet to mature sufficiently to reflect
the wide spectrum of interrelated threats facing companies within today’s dynamic
and evolving global commercial environment. While advances in technology and
management methodologies might increase an organization’s capacity to forecast
and plan for such catastrophic events, the ability of an individual or organization
to survive a crisis event relies often on the underresourced and frequently overlooked
field of operational contingency planning and crisis response—or business
continuity management.
Praise for Business Continuity Management: Building an Effective Incident Management Plan
"In Business Continuity Management, Blyth has once again produced a comprehensive guide to the subject. Whether a multinational organization looking to counter the threat of global terrorism or a local business planning against loss of sensitive data, this book provides a well structured and useful guide to construction and implementation of Incident Management Plans. Blyth provides not only the theory and background to his subject but also invaluable template guidelines for many of the incidents which we all should prepare for."
—Joe Pugh, Head of European Project Management, Panasonic
"Business Continuity Management: Building an Effective Management Plan very effectively details how and what a company should include in composing and executing a crisis management plan. This book is a must read for both laymen and experts alike because it itemizes the most relevant facts within silos that are comprehensive enough for the expert to find value in, yet written in a manner that a layman can derive tangible value. The incident response guidelines, broken down by the event type, provide an extremely useful tool that bring immediate value to the reader."
—Robert G. Molina Jr., Global Security ManagerLyondellBasell
"For a business of any consequence to not have a business continuity plan is like a Boy Scout not having a first aid kit. Advanced preparation and planning enable a business to deal with a crisis and sooner or later every business will face a crisis of some nature. Author Michael Blyth hits the nail on the head with his well organized book that weaves together business continuity planning, incident management, and dealing with risks."
—John P. Chamberlain, Executive Director ESC
"Mike Blyth has produced another book, which is thought-provoking and a clear example of the multilayered guidelines that companies should be encouraged to incorporate into their BCP. A worthy read for anyone in business, irrespective of managerial level. The business model and structure achieved will help determine the time and shape of any crisis. The individual knowledge and understanding so achieved, interlinked with a robust BCP, will determine the optimum time and cost to recover from crisis."
—Stephen Ackroyd, BMI Security Manager, Middle East/Africa/Asia
"In the global economy, the guidelines presented by Michael Blyth are an essential component for doing business worldwide. He has thought of every angle. In ultra-sensitive environments like Afghanistan, his recommendations will be widely applied."
—Dr. Thomas Stauffer, President/CEO, American University of Afghanistan
