NCEMA has produced NCEMA 7000:2015 a Business Continuity Management Standard to build an organization’s capability to continue functioning and delivering its prioritized activities when its operations are disrupted due to emergencies or crises.
Business Continuity Management (BCM)—the ability of an organization to maintain essential functions during, and after a disaster has occurred—should not be perceived as a compliance requirement only. When properly implemented, it is a system that not only affects strategy, but also protects all the processes of high value to the organization.
The Gulf countries in particular have started to develop tailor-made standards in alignment with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)—such as NCEMA 7000-2015 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and SAMA BCM Framework 2017 in Saudi Arabia—and implementing them across government entities, especially critical national infrastructure, effectively creating an immune system protecting the country’s reputation and the safety of its population.