Events such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina have brought business continuity management (BCM) into mainstream corporate practice. Businesses that had plans for continuity of service to customers during a business disruption survived those events, whereas those without plans often failed. As a result, organizations both large and small are implementing BCM systems. Once relegated to the margins of corporate practice as an aspect of information technology or corporate security, BCM has become recognized as a fundamental aspect of sound business practice.

The growth of continuity management has been further fueled by regulations requiring continuity programs in industries such as healthcare and finance. Insurance companies are also starting to require continuity programs as a condition of coverage. Moreover, with 85% of the nation’s critical infrastructure and nearly 100% of the economic infrastructure in private hands, BCM is a national security priority.

Recognizing the importance of securing the nation’s economic infrastructure for national security, President Clinton issued Presidential Decision Directive Order 63 in 1998 to address critical infrastructure protection. The federal government has extended this effort to support private-sector BCM programs.

In August 2007, the federal government passed the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, which mandates the Department of Homeland Security to actively encourage the development of continuity programs in the United States.

Continuity of operations is as much needed in the public sphere as the private, as public-sector agencies must have programs to ensure their own continuity of service during an emergency. In recognition of the public-sector need for continuity programs, in May 2007 President Bush signed National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 51, requiring continuity programs to “be incorporated into daily operations of all executive departments and agencies.”

The growth in BCM programs has fueled tremendous demand for professionals that understand risk management in the context of business operations. As a result, the number of business continuity professionals has exploded in recent years. CNN named Business Continuity Director one of the “Seven Trendy New Jobs” in 2006 and membership in professional organizations in the field is growing rapidly.

M. E. Kabay, PhD, CISSP-ISSMP, specializes in security and operations management consulting services. CV online.