Deloitte, the business advisory firm, has today launched an online Business Continuity Management (BCM) Benchmark Survey. The survey and results, free to participants, allow individual companies to gauge and compare their recovery capabilities against their peers, and receive updated information on a regular basis to help them proactively manage their business continuity efforts.

The online database is updated as participants join, and reports are available on a monthly and quarterly basis as industry data is aggregated. Participating companies will receive a customised annual report comparing their responses to industry and geographic peers.

Rick Cudworth, Deloitte’s head of Business Continuity & Resilience, commented: “With the nature of global threats, a successful response depends on investment in protective measures by all. This survey offers organisations the ability to benchmark key processes - for free – against other major corporations and small-to-medium businesses across industries and around the globe. By making data in an area like business continuity planning and management more dynamic, up to date and readily available, enterprises all over the world will have the ability to benchmark themselves against other organisations in very important areas such as crisis management, leadership and governance, life safety, training, IT disaster recovery, facilities and infrastructure.”

The survey compares Business Continuity Management programmes against key metrics, including:

• The maturity of business continuity and disaster recovery preparations;
• Staffing and organisational structure;
• Programme budgets;
• Recovery Time Objectives for most critical business processes

“A company can use BCM Benchmarking data as a tool to respond to questions about its business continuity practices, regardless of whether the questions are raised by the board of directors, business units, or from external sources. Our goal is to keep the benchmark data current and relevant. Viewing this data should be a key tool in every organisation’s overall business continuity strategic planning process.  Some may want to see updated benchmarks every month; others may prefer only an annual comparison.  In any case, there is great power in having frequently updated information at a manager’s fingertips.”

Companies can begin participating in the BCM Benchmarking survey and gauging their BCM programmes by visiting the website: https://www.dexsurvey.deloitte.com/anondirect.asp?XID=15267

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About Deloitte
In this press release references to Deloitte are references to Deloitte & Touche LLP which is among the country’s leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, consulting and corporate finance services. Deloitte & Touche LLP is the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (‘DTT’), a Swiss Verein whose member firms are separate and independent legal entities.  Neither DTT nor any of its member firms has any liability for each other’s omissions.  Services are provided by member firms or their subsidiaries and not by DTT.  Deloitte & Touche LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.  The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.