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What is BS ISO/IEC 27031:2025 - Information and communication technology readiness for business continuity about?
Recognizing the critical role of information and communications technology (ICT), BS ISO/IEC 27031:2025 outlines how ICT functions should plan and prepare to support an organization's resilience and maintain business operations during disruptions.
Who is BS ISO/IEC 27031:2025 - Information and communication technology readiness for business continuity for?
Individuals involved in ICT governance, risk management, and compliance, as well as those responsible for ensuring business continuity and information security, will find BS ISO/IEC 27031:2025 valuable. Specific roles include:
- ICT managers/directors: responsible for overseeing the planning, implementation, and maintenance of ICT systems within organizations;
- business continuity managers: tasked with developing and implementing strategies to ensure the continuity of essential business functions during disruptions;
- information security managers: charged with protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizational information assets, including ICT systems;
- risk managers: involved in identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks associated with ICT systems and business operations;
- chief information officers (CIOs) and chief technology officers (CTOs): responsible for setting strategic direction and policies related to ICT and technology infrastructure; and
- IT security analysts/engineers: tasked with monitoring, analysing, and responding to security incidents and vulnerabilities within ICT systems.
What does BS ISO/IEC 27031:2025 - Information and communication technology readiness for business continuity cover?
BS ISO/IEC 27031:2025 provides guidelines and recommendations for organizations to ensure that their ICT systems and capabilities are prepared to maintain essential business functions during and after disruptions such as disasters, cyber-attacks, or other incidents.
The standard covers various aspects of ICT readiness, including defining objectives for business continuity, determining recovery time and recovery point objectives, designing continuity plans, testing and finalizing these plans, and establishing feedback mechanisms to management for approval or risk treatment decisions.
Overall, BS ISO/IEC 27031:2025 helps organizations systematically plan, prepare, and manage their ICT resources to ensure the continuity of critical business processes in the face of disruptions, thereby enhancing resilience and reducing the adverse impact of potential incidents on business operations.
Why should you use BS ISO/IEC 27031:2025 - Information and communication technology readiness for business continuity?
- It offers a systematic approach to preventing, predicting and managing ICT disruptions, thereby mitigating the risks associated with incidents such as cyber attacks (including security breaches and system intrusion), natural disasters, and technical failures; and minimizing disruptions to critical business processes.
- By aligning with the latest advancements in ISMS (BS ISO/IEC 27001) and BCMS (BS ISO/IEC 22301) processes, it ensures efficient coordination and avoids duplication of effort.
- It extends information security incident management practices into ICT readiness planning, training, and operation, enhancing overall organizational resilience and improving responsiveness to incidents.
- It demonstrates to stakeholders that your organization is aligned with international best practice and standards in information security and business continuity management.
- It strengthens overall organizational risk management.
What has changed?
BS ISO/IEC 27031:2025 expands on established practices of information security incident management by seamlessly integrating them into ICT readiness planning, training, and operational frameworks. This enhancement significantly broadens the standard's scope, making it more adaptable and relevant to the intricacies of modern ICT environments. Furthermore, it delivers refreshed guidance on seamlessly integrating ICT readiness into existing BCM and ISMS processes, reflecting the latest advancements in technology and organizational methodologies since the 2011 version.
- The main changes compared to the previous edition include:
- structural changes in the document;
- clarification of the scope;
- redistribution of technical content into specific clauses; and
- updated sections on risk management, incident management, BCM strategies, IRBC Strategy Options, and technological solutions.
