Engaging in BCM

For many years one of the key challenges in Business Continuity Management (BCM) has been securing the support of executives. According to Patrick Roberts , a senior consultant at risk management and business continuity consultants, Needhams 1834 Ltd, the fact that few executives will have had any hands-on BCM experience in their career has slowed the recognition of the importance of the discipline. This situation, he notes, is exacerbated by the almost total absence of BCM in MBA syllabuses and executive education programmes. But he also believes that awareness of the issue has improved. Numerous articles on BCM have appeared in mainstream business publications and the quality newspapers. Furthermore BCM now has a number of powerful advocates including (in the UK) the Institute of Directors, MI5 and the Financial Services Authority. Ultimately, Mr Roberts argues, BCM is not a complex subject to grasp and a reasonably articulate BC Consultant or Manager should be able to communicate the important messages in a short space of time.