The Business Continuity Institute

My friend and colleague Prof. Michael Miora, president of ContingenZ, recently achieved the distinction of being named a Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute. I asked him to write about the BCI and the honor he has received and am delighted to present his report.

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Over the past few years, I have been granted both CISSP and ISSMP status. Those certifications are gratifying because they represent recognition of achievement and knowledge by my peers. As many of you may know, these certifications are bestowed by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium. That unwieldy name is usually shortened to (ISC)^2, thus revealing the geek origins of the certification authority.

I am very pleased to announce that I have just been accepted as a Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute (FBCI). I consider the arena of business continuity and disaster recovery to be solidly in the arena of information assurance and information protection. For me, however, the FBCI status is especially meaningful. I consider myself to be one of the founding members of the profession, having been involved in this discipline since before it was recognized as a discipline.

There are many organizations in the business continuity and disaster recovery world whose goal is to help further the cause of business continuity. These groups put forward standards and resources for recognizing the profession and furthering its practice and recognition. Chief among these organizations is the not-for-profit, U.K.-based BCI.

The BCI was established in 1994 with the mission, “To enable members to obtain guidance and support from fellow business continuity practitioners.” To that end, the BCI has developed a series of standards and guidelines that have achieved worldwide recognition and have been incorporated into International Standards Organization, British Standards Institute and other official standards. Among organizations helping advance information assurance and protection, the BCI stands out as a truly dedicated organization that puts the profession before its own organizational goals.

BCI has been involved in guiding response requirements for recent disasters, has led the coordination efforts among continuity organizations, and has been at the forefront of the ICE campaign. ICE is a simple idea that enables hospital staff and first responders to quickly get in touch with a person’s emergency contacts. The word ICE, an abbreviation for “In Case of Emergency,” is added to the mobile phone address book as the entry with name and contact information for the person or people who should be contacted in an emergency.

It is with this backdrop that the BCI has instituted a series of certifications. These certifications begin with affiliate and associate memberships for those who want to join but have little or no experience in the area. For practicing professionals, there are the Specialist (SBCI) and Member (MBCI) designations. The prestigious Fellow status (FBCI) is reserved for those members with years of experience who have demonstrated a commitment to the field and who have achieved recognition in the development of the profession.

The BCI Web site explains:

“Through its Certification Scheme, the Institute provides internationally recognized status to its members as professional membership of the BCI demonstrates the members’ competence to carry out business continuity management (BCM) to a consistent high standard.”

The BCI has more than 2,400 members worldwide of whom around 100 members have been granted FBCI status. I am pleased to be counted among that number.

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About the author:

Prof. Michael Miora has designed and assessed secure, survivable, highly robust systems for industry and government over the past 25 years. Miora was one of the original professionals granted the CISSP certification in the ‘90s and the ISSMP in 2004. He founded and currently serves as president of ContingenZ and is adjunct professor of Information Assurance in the MSIA program at Norwich University.