The International Organization for Standards (ISO) has published the first internationally ratified benchmark document addressing incident preparedness and continuity management for organizations in both public and private sectors. The document is Specification ISO/PAS 22399:2007, Societal Security — Guideline for Incident Preparedness and Operational Continuity Management and is based on best practices from five national standards.
Natural disasters, acts of terror, technology-related accidents, and environmental incidents have clearly demonstrated that neither public nor private sectors are immune from crises, either intentionally or unintentionally provoked. This has led to a global awareness that organizations in the public and private sectors must know how to prepare for and respond to unexpected and potentially devastating incidents.
ISO/PAS 22399 establishes the process, principles and terminology of incident preparedness and operational — business — continuity management (IPOCM) within the context of societal security. Organizational resilience requires proactive preparation for potential incidents and disruptions to avoid suspension of critical operations and services, or if operations and services are disrupted, that they resume as rapidly as required by those who depend on them.
ISO/PAS 22399 describes a holistic management process that identifies potential impacts that threaten an organization and provides a framework for minimizing their effect.
