Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is how an organisation prepares for future incidents that could jeopardise the organisation's core mission and its longterm health. Incidents include local incidents like building fires, regional incidents like earthquakes, or national incidents like pandemic illnesses. The logistical plan is called a Business Continuity Plan

BCP may be a part of an organisational learning effort that helps reduce operational risk associated with lax information management controls. This process may be integrated with improving information security and corporate reputation risk management practices.

In December 2006, the the British Standards Institute released a new independent standard for BCP - BS 25999. Prior to the introduction of BS 25999, BCP professionals relied on BSI information security standard BS 7799, which only peripherally addressed BCP to improve an organisation's information security compliance. BS 25999's applicability extends to organisations of all types, sizes, and missions whether governmental or private, profit or non-profit, large or small, or industry sector.

In 2004, the UK enacted the Civil Contingencies Act, a statute that instructs all emergency services and local authorities to actively prepare and plan for emergencies. Local authorities also have the legal obligation under this act to actively lead promotion of business continuity practices amongst its geographical area.

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