Continuity Policy

Through the adoption of Business Continuity Management best practices Epiphany Organisational Resilience will achieve its business continuity aim of safeguarding our reputation and public image.

This will occur by using best endeavours to meet the needs of staff, the wider community, and other critical stakeholders, through ensuring that business critical teaching and research outcomes are not compromised by a major disruptive event.

The Business Continuity Policy forms part of the risk management framework at Epiphany Organisational Resilience. Definitions:

Business Continuity:

Business continuity is the uninterrupted availability of all key resources supporting essential business functions.

Business Continuity Plans:

A collection of procedures and information that is developed, compiled and maintained in readiness for use in the event of an emergency or disaster. (Associated terms: Business Recovery Plan, Disaster Recovery Plan, and Recovery Plan)

Business Continuity Management:

Business Continuity Management provides for the availability of processes and resources in order to ensure the continued achievement of critical objectives.

Business Impact Analysis:

A management level analysis, which identifies the impacts of losing organisational resources. The BIA measures the effect of resource losses and escalating losses over time in order to provide senior management with reliable data upon which to base decisions on risk management and continuity management.

A major disruptive event:

May be Natural (e.g. flood, hurricane, earthquake), Accidental (e.g. fire, contamination), Commercial (e.g. loss of supply of critical services) or Wilful (e.g. sabotage, vandalism, arson, terrorism). Associated terms: "major crisis", "disaster".

Risk Assessment:

The overall process of risk analysis and risk evaluation.

Stakeholders:

Those people and organisations that may affect, or be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by, a decision or activity.

Policy

Epiphany Organisational Resilience must:

• Establish a Business Continuity Plan, or Plans, to ensure business continuity for each established office globally. The Business Continuity Plan (or plans) must address both the general management aspects of the continuity process and those for IT and data/voice communications elements. The Business Continuity Plan must include action plans for the reactivation of all essential business services, and must include provision for loss of supply of services by those external agents upon which Epiphany Organisational Resilience is critically dependant.
• Annually review the Risk Assessment including periodic maintenance of the Business Impact Analysis.
• Periodically update the Business Continuity plan (or plans) to ensure currency of information, and response strategies. The plan must be reviewed for possible updating within 30 days of any major operational or system changes that will have a material effect on the contingency strategy of any College/Region/Section.
• Undertake exercises for training and evaluation purposes of the Business Continuity Plan each year or within 30 days of any major operational or system changes that will have a material effect on the contingency strategy of any College/Region/Section.

Management responsibilities

Epiphany Organisational Resilience Managers must ensure that the key functions, for which they have responsibility, are able to continue following credible major disruptive events and that arrangements are in place to achieve this. This requires the proactive development, maintenance and devolution of business continuity planning within their areas. Managers are expected to encourage the active participation of staff in business continuity issues and must ensure that key personnel are able to perform competently during a major disruptive event.

Epiphany Organisational Resilience Managers must:

• Complete a periodic Risk Assessment or more detailed Business Impact Analysis if requested.
• Manage risks in accordance with this policy.
• Ensure that the Business Continuity Plan in their area of influence and control is exercised on schedule.