16.1
Objectives
- develop business
continuity management programs to support government business objectives
and continued delivery of essential services during a business interruption
- protect critical
government infrastructure and assets necessary to sustain business continuity
- provide direction
for ministries to prepare enterprise-wide business continuity plans,
and pre-position personnel and resources to mitigate the effect of a
business interruption
- support government-wide
emergency preparedness and response plans
- establish government-wide
guidelines for the identification, analysis and treatment of potential
business continuity risks to government services, programs or operations
- develop a Government
Business Continuity Plan to support delivery of essential government
services and continuous functioning of government during a major business
interruption
- regularly monitor
ministry overall readiness, exercise completion, and audit of ministry
business continuity plans and reporting to the Deputy Ministers' Council
on the status of government-wide Business Continuity Management Programs
- continuously promote
government-wide business continuity processes, best practices, training
and awareness for employees
16.2
General
The Business Continuity
Management Program (BCMP) is an integral part of Enterprise-wide Risk
Management (ERM) and is consistent with government-wide business functions
and activities. The program includes planning, developing, implementing
and monitoring business continuity and recovery activities in all ministries
and agencies.
The Provincial Emergency
Program legislation provides the authority for business continuity plans
and procedures in government. Ministries and agencies have responsibility
for developing and implementing comprehensive business continuity plans
to provide essential services during a business interruption. Ministry
business continuity management programs provide the foundation for the
Government Business Continuity Plan.
Business continuity
plans ensure availability of government services, programs, and operations,
including all resources involved, and the timely resumption of services
in the event of a major failure, emergency or disaster. Good coordination
and liaison involving inter-ministry activities and with service providers
is critical to restoring business operations during and following an interruption.
16.3
Policy
- Deputy ministers, senior managers and Business Continuity Planning
Coordinators in each ministry must manage BCMP in their ministry, in
accordance with the Risk Management Branch and Government Security Office
(RMB) business continuity standards and guidelines.
- Each ministry must conduct an annual strategic risk analysis of ministry
business objectives to identify business, program, and operational risks
that could be impacted by a business interruption, and apply cost-effective
risk mitigation treatments.
- Ministries must complete a comprehensive ministry-wide business impact
analysis (BIA) annually, as well as when significant program changes
occur, to identify and develop strategies to reduce the likelihood and
consequence of a business interruption.
- Ministries must use the results of the risk analysis and business
impact analysis to develop a priority-ranking of essential services,
programs or operations, and develop appropriate risk mitigation strategies.
- Ministries must identify internal and external dependencies involved
in the delivery of government services and develop mutually supportive
business continuity strategies.
- Ministries must develop business continuity plans and procedures
to support government business objectives and availability of essential
services. Plans must include:
- specific security
plans and procedures to move up to heightened security levels in the
event of an emergency or increased threat condition; and
- current lists
of key resources required for the recovery and resumption of essential
services. Resources include personnel, facilities, critical infrastructure
and assets, information, materials and office equipment/furniture,
information technology assets (hardware and software) and communications.
- Ministries must establish the capability to resume essential services
by putting appropriate risk mitigation treatments (e.g., security management
program) in place to prevent and mitigate the effect of business interruption
and support the timely recovery of business activities.
- Business continuity plans must be exercised at least annually to
the extent necessary to confirm plan effectiveness and to ensure personnel
are prepared and trained.
- Ministries must coordinate business continuity plans with security
management and emergency preparedness and response plans. All employees
and key stakeholders must be aware of the ministry business continuity
management program and understand its contents and their role.
- Ministries must review business continuity plans annually to ensure
they are current, valid and readily accessible during a business interruption.
Ministries must report the number and type of exercises completed, the
training conducted and the status of ministry-wide business continuity
plans to RMB semi-annually.
16.4
Information and References
All readers can obtain
information by contacting Emergency Management BC:
| Telephone: |
250 953-4002 |
| Mailing Address: |
PO BOX 9223 STN
PROV GOVT
Victoria BC V8W 9J1 |
| Physical Address: |
2nd Floor - 525
Fort Street
Victoria BC V8W 1E8 |
Emergency Management
British Columbia (EMBC): supports the development and implementation of
comprehensive business continuity management programs in the provincial
public sector (including ministries, Crown corporations, government agencies
and contracted service agencies).
EMBC, through the
Business Continuity Management Program (BCMP), provides essential reference
information for ministries that are developing a business continuity management
program. Operational standards, BCMP guidelines, BCMP glossary and supplemental
materials are available at the EMBC sharepoint site (a government idir
account is required for access to the site) https://collaboration.pssg.gov.bc.ca/EMBC/BCP/default.aspx.
Contact EMBC office to register for access to the site.
Manual Table of Contents
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