The key risks for rail (and similarly for transport) will continue to be managing the disruptive impact of severe weather events. This includes not just continuity of service but also the effect on the integrity of the infrastructure. Risk mitigations such as improving flood defences and managing drainage remain priorities. Maintaining high safety standards and reducing train accident risk will continue to be high on the agenda.

Security and recovery will rise further up the agenda in 2018. Malware and ransomware attacks will continue to dominate, with devastating consequences for affected businesses. With the widespread adoption of the Internet of Things, we will also see an increase in the number and complexity of endpoints, which could in turn lead to an increase in zero attacks.

Digital has so far been about pace and urgency. The race to embrace the fourth industrial revolution is still being run – but next year expect the early front-runners to ease up a little. Digital transformation is a marathon, not a sprint. And that’s good because it gives business continuity professionals the time to identify and mitigate the new risks that the digital revolution presents.

British food safety standards have been making headlines yet again with several UK supermarket chains suspending contracts with 2 Sisters Food Group as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) launches an investigation into the alleged alterations of use-by dates on chickens. This latest scandal follows growing European concern about the state of food processing practices emanating from incidents including the Dutch egg insecticide contamination fiasco and recent FSA testing that showed how common food poisoning bug campylobacter was present within 50% of supermarket chicken products.

Sungard Availability Services has launched a mobile app designed to help businesses more efficiently manage and recover from an incident. Act with Assurance integrates with the provider's Assurance software platform to provide a more interactive, efficient way to manage business continuity.

At the risk of paraphrasing Mark Twain (‘reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated’), the BIA will become an integral part of a wider solution, not standing in glorious isolation. Already, the vast majority of our new clients are embracing the single entity approach to BC management using software, rather than having separate documents.

The business landscape is more unpredictable than ever. Wildly changing external factors including geopolitical risks, regulatory change, technological innovation and consumer sentiment and unrest are more forcefully shaping how businesses act. This is driving the acceleration towards more holistic risk and compliance management. The two functions can no longer be siloed, but instead pushed as a single operation that can be used by upper management to make informed decisions

Today is Black Friday, and that means bargains. For retailers, it means big customer service and revenue pressure. To conquer the annual onslaught, and remain relevant and desirable throughout the shopping year, the onus is on retailers to deliver an intuitive, connected experience for consumers.

Organisations continue to face a growing number of natural and man-made disruptions, in an environment where an incident can quickly escalate into a crisis. Tackling this issue, The Ultimate Business Continuity Success Guide demonstrates how cutting-edge preparation techniques and tools can “make your business unbreakable while increasing revenue and reducing your expenses”.

Organisations with business continuity arrangements are eight times more likely to report greater supply chain visibility, twice more likely to insure for supply chain losses, and three times more likely to display top management commitment. This is according to a report published today by the Business Continuity Institute and Zurich Insurance Group.

The Business Continuity Institute has published its highly anticipated Good Practice Guidelines 2018 edition. Its arrival coincides with the first day of the annual BCI World Conference and Exhibition, which kicks off in West London this morning.

The 20th Anniversary Business Continuity Awards, celebrating achievements in business continuity, security and resilience, are open for entries. These annual Awards are the most anticipated event in the business continuity calendar and provide unrivalled networking, alongside a night of entertainment and celebration.

Back in February, the Ministry of Justice unveiled a dramatic cut to the discount rate used to calculate lump-sum personal injury compensation from 2.5% to minus 0.75%, following a review of the Ogden tables. The unexpected change took effect from March and was the source of widespread concern across the industry, and began a narrative that included the British Insurance Brokers’ Association calling for urgent changes in the law used to set the rate.

As an ex-police officer, I am acutely aware of the importance of definitions in the pursuit of clarity. In law, definitions and their subsequent points to prove enable law enforcement officers to ensure that people do not get prosecuted unless their activities have met a certain criterion. Inconsistent terminology can lead to confusion, and the same is the case in organisational resilience.

New research suggests confidence in disaster recovery plans among UK companies has fallen for a second consecutive year, due to factors including lack of testing, budgetary constraints and the growing cyber threat. These are the findings Databarracks' seventh Data Health Check report, released today. The survey questioned over 400 IT decision makers in the UK about their IT, security and continuity practices over the last year, and what they expect to change in the next 12 months.