Business continuity is defined as the “capability of an organization to continue the delivery of products and services within acceptable time frames at predefined capacity during a disruption”[1]. Such disruptions can include fires, floods, data breaches, pandemics, and so on. During the last few years, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, business continuity has become a widely discussed topic and an absolute necessity for every organization. The disruption that COVID-19 caused to the value chain was immense. Individuals and organizations alike scrambled to find the best frameworks for business continuity in order to overcome those challenges.

Contemporary frameworks typically provide requirements based on which organizations can implement certifiable management systems and individuals can attest their knowledge through certification. Different types of certifications attest to the business continuity skills of individuals. In order to assess the demand for business continuity certifications, TRECCERT has conducted research on the business continuity job market. Based on the research, the most demanded certifications related to business continuity are:

• ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) – This certification scheme is related to knowledge of implementation, maintenance, and improvement of a management system that protects the organization and helps it prepare and respond to disruptions, including natural and man-made disasters. There are typically various levels of credentials within this certification scheme, beginning with essentials and culminating with Lead Implementer, Lead Auditor, and Master certificates.
• Certification of the Business Continuity Institute (CBCI) – This is a course that teaches the fundamentals of implementing business continuity management and provides the fundamentals for building a career in business continuity.
• Certified Disaster Recovery Engineer (C/DRE) – This course is implementation-focused and is intended to prepare candidates for employment in business continuity. The emphasis of this course is to ensure that students learn the latest methodologies and are able to perform business continuity tasks, such as planning and testing. 
• EC-Council Disaster Recovery Professional (EDRP) – This is a professional-level course that teaches students the fundamentals of business continuity, including business impact analysis and risk assessment. Furthermore, students also learn how to secure data and recover it after disruptions. 

The frameworks listed all have their merits and can provide great value to any organization. However, ISO 22301 has some great advantages over other frameworks, including the fact that it applies to any type of organization, is recognized internationally, requires the involvement of the whole organization and can be easily integrated with other ISO management systems. Unsurprisingly, only during the last year, the number of issued ISO 22301 increased drastically, at more than 30% from the previous year.

Business Continuity Additional Job Requirements/Qualifications

Besides certification, our research indicates that other factors, including years of experience, education, and skills are also significant preconditions for landing business continuity jobs. Our findings show that:

• The average required experience in business continuity is 5.3+ years. For people interested in building a career in business continuity, this may seem discouraging. However, being able to demonstrate competence and having valuable certificates is a proven method to convince employers to waive their experience requirements.
• Around half of the employers don’t require academic degrees. In competitive and high-paced industries, specific competence is of utmost importance. That is why certification in business continuity can highly boost your career prospect, regardless of your academic credentials.
• Nearly 60% of the analyzed jobs require ISO 22301 familiarity, working knowledge, or certification. Due to their many advantages, including global applicability, ISO certifications are typically in high demand in many fields, including business continuity. ISO certificates are also typically available to more people, as they generally do not require technical knowledge in IT or other specialized fields.  

Clearly, certification, especially against ISO 22301, is immensely important for your career in business continuity. However, choosing the right training provider and Certification Body (CB) for your needs is also detrimental to your success. There are many training providers and CBs that provide various certificates, including ISO 22301 BCMS. However, they do not all provide the same value to the candidate. Important considerations when choosing your CB include quality of services, responsiveness, Continuous Professional Education (CPE) opportunities, and trustworthiness.

Here at TRECCERT, we are committed to providing high-quality services through competence and resourcefulness, and strive to create a professional environment that nurtures the desire for our certifications and services. Our certification values define how we do business and interact with our business partners and their clients. TRECCERT certification is a platform for ICT professionals to enhance their professional credibility, knowledge and skills for more job opportunities, improve reputation among peers and reassure further professional development. Our use of advanced technical solutions ensures that our services are unmatched in reliability and efficiency, among other benefits.

Therefore, if you are interested in a career in business continuity and looking to attest to your skills, find below TRECCERT’s available certificates that you can earn after successfully passing the exam and fulfilling the requirements:

ISO 22301 Essentials

ISO 22301 Foundation

ISO 22301 Professional

ISO 22301 Lead Implementer

ISO 22301 Lead Auditor

[1] ISO 22301