BCMS Audit and Advisory
40% of companies never return to operation after major failure. Build BCP/DRP plans, test them and be ready for the worst. Minimize downtime, protect revenue and meet regulatory requirements.
What is a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) audit and consulting?
BCMS audit and consulting is a structured engagement that builds and validates an organization's ability to continue critical operations during and after major incidents, following the ISO 22301 standard. nFlo delivers Business Impact Analysis, BCP/DRP plans with specific recovery procedures, and tabletop exercises — addressing regulatory requirements from NIS2, DORA, and PCI DSS while reducing the risk of joining the 40% of companies that never fully recover after a serious incident.
Without business continuity plans every failure is existential threat
Tested continuity and disaster recovery plans
Business Impact Analysis
Assess process criticality and acceptable downtime
BCP/DRP Plans
Detailed continuation and recovery procedures
Tests and Exercises
Regular verification that plans work
3 Days Downtime = €500k Lost and 30% of Customers Gone
Medium e-commerce company experienced 3-day downtime after storage failure. Losses: €500k revenue directly, and 30% of customers moved to competitors permanently. Reason? No recovery plan and untested backup.
Without business continuity system:
- You don’t know critical process recovery times (RTO/RPO)
- Chaos and panic during incident - nobody knows what to do
- Long downtime = lost revenue and customers
- No compliance with NIS2, DORA, insurer requirements
From Business Impact Analysis to Tested Recovery Plans
We don’t create documents that end up on a shelf. We build practical plans, train teams and test if they work when needed. You know exactly what to do and how long you need to return to operation.
What you get:
- Business Impact Analysis (BIA) - critical process identification
- RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective) definition
- Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for each critical process
- IT Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) with specific steps
- Crisis management and communication plan
- Test and exercise schedule
- Training for team and management
- Documentation compliant with ISO 22301
Methodology and Deliverables
We implement BCMS based on ISO 22301:2019 with ISO 22313 guidance and client-specific regulatory requirements.
Business Impact Analysis (BIA) — the critical stage where we work with process owners to identify critical business functions and determine the Maximum Tolerable Period of Disruption (MTPD) for each. We define RTO and RPO, analyze resource dependencies (people, IT, suppliers, facilities), and estimate the financial and operational impact of outages across hour, day, and week timescales. The BIA output is a prioritized process list with concrete recovery parameters.
Business continuity strategies — based on the BIA, we develop strategies for each disruption scenario: loss of premises, loss of IT systems, unavailability of key personnel, and critical supplier failure. For each strategy we define technical solutions (hot site, warm site, cloud DR) and organizational measures (crisis teams, escalation procedures, alternative business processes).
Operational documentation includes BCP plans with step-by-step procedures for business teams, DRP plans with IT runbooks, a crisis communication plan (internal and external, including media), and a crisis management plan with a decision matrix for the board. Each document contains contact lists, activation checklists, and de-escalation criteria.
Testing and exercises — we conduct three types: tabletop exercises (scenario walkthrough with the management team), functional tests (actual failover to backup systems), and full simulation exercises involving the entire organization. After each test we deliver a lessons-learned report with an improvement plan. We recommend a minimum annual testing cycle to keep plans current and teams prepared.
Who Is It For?
This service is for you if:
- You’re subject to NIS2, DORA or other regulation requiring BCP
- Your system downtime means significant financial losses
- You want to achieve ISO 22301 certification
- Insurer requires documented continuity plans
- You must demonstrate crisis readiness to customers
- You have SLAs with customers guaranteeing availability
What is BCMS?
Business Continuity Management System
BCMS is a structured approach to ensuring continuity of critical business processes during and after incidents.
Key elements:
| Element | Description | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| BIA | Business Impact Analysis | Understand downtime impact |
| BCP | Business Continuity Plan | Continue business processes |
| DRP | Disaster Recovery Plan | Recover IT systems |
| Crisis Management | Crisis management | Coordinate actions |
Difference between BCP and DRP:
- BCP - how to maintain business operation (e.g., manual order processing)
- DRP - how to recover IT systems (e.g., recovery from backup)
Related Glossary Terms
Learn more about key concepts related to this service:
Contact your account manager
Discuss BCMS Audit and Advisory with your dedicated account manager.
How we work
Our proven service delivery process.
Kick-off
Define scope, objectives and business criteria
BIA
Business Impact Analysis - identify critical processes
BC Strategy
Develop continuity and recovery strategy
Plans and Procedures
Detailed BCP, DRP, Crisis Management plans
Tests and Training
Tabletop exercises and recovery tests
Benefits for your business
What you gain by choosing this service.
Revenue Protection
Minimize financial losses during downtime
Regulatory Compliance
Meet NIS2, DORA, PCI DSS requirements
Lower Premiums
Insurers appreciate functioning BCMS
Customer Trust
Customers know you'll keep commitments
Related Articles
Expand your knowledge with our resources.
Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DRP) — A Practical Guide
Practical BCP/DRP guide: BIA, RTO/RPO, 3-2-1-1 backup strategies, DR plan testing, NIS2/DORA requirements. Case study: ransomware recovery in 4 hours.
Read more →Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery — How to Prepare Your Organization for the Worst
Comprehensive guide: BIA, RPO/RTO, 3-2-1-1-0 rule, backup sites, plan testing, and NIS2, DORA, ISO 22301 requirements — all in one place for IT teams and boards.
Read more →Business Continuity (BCP/DR) and Cybersecurity: How to Survive a Ransomware Disaster
Your Disaster Recovery plan assumes that the server room floods and you restore everything from backups. But what if the disaster isn't water, but ransomware that has encrypted not only your production servers, but also your backups? In the era of cyber attacks, business continuity (BCP) and disaste
Read more →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about BCMS Audit and Advisory.
What is the difference between BCP and DRP and do I need both?
BCP (Business Continuity Plan) defines how to maintain business operations during a failure (e.g. manual order processing). DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan) covers IT system recovery procedures (e.g. recovery from backup). You need both - BCP provides operational continuity, DRP restores technology.
How long does BCMS implementation take?
Full implementation from BIA through BCP/DRP plans to testing takes 2-4 months. We start with Business Impact Analysis (2-3 weeks), then develop plans (3-4 weeks) and finish with tabletop exercises and recovery tests.
Is BCMS required by regulations?
Yes. NIS2 requires business continuity plans for essential and important entities. DORA imposes this obligation on the financial sector. PCI DSS requires DRP for systems processing card data. Cyber insurers increasingly require documented BC plans.
How do you test whether business continuity plans will actually work?
We conduct tabletop exercises (crisis scenario simulation with the team), IT recovery tests (actual restore from backup) and crisis communication procedure exercises. We recommend testing at least once a year.
How much does BCMS implementation cost?
BIA + BCP/DRP plans + tests cost from 60,000 PLN for a mid-size organization. Scope depends on the number of critical business processes and locations. Preparation for ISO 22301 certification is an additional cost.