Glossary

We have prepared a glossary of common terms for your convenience. These terms have been extracted from various sources. Just click on the alphabet of the term you are looking for to find the definition.

We shall be updating these terms from time to time so please visit us to get the latest updates.

You will find at the end of the definition there will be an abbreviation within bracket. This indicates the source of that definition. At times a single term may have different definition from different sources. We have included it for your benefits.

Below is the meaning for each abbreviation:

  • BCI  -  Business Continuity Institute, UK
  • DRII - Disaster Recovery Institute International, US
  • BCMI - Business Continuity Management Institute, Singapore
  • MS1970 - Business Continuity Management Framework, Department of Standards Malaysia
  • ASIS International – Organization for security professionals.
Network Outage

An interruption in system availability resulting from a communication failure affecting a network of computer terminals, processors, and / or workstations. (DRII)
Offsite Storage

Alternate facility, other than the primary production site, where duplicated vital records and documentation may be stored for use during disaster recovery. (DRII)
Operational Risks

The risk that deficiencies in information systems or internal controls will result in unexpected loss. The risk is associated with human error, system failures and inadequate procedures and controls. (BCI)
Organization

An enterprise, a corporate entity; a firm, an establishment, a public or government body, department or agency; a business or a charity. (BCI)
Outage


Period of time that a service, system, process or business function is expected to be unusable or inaccessible which has a high impact on the organisation, compromising the achievement of the organisation’s business objectives. An outage is different to ‘downtime’ where process or system failures happen as a part of normal operations, and where the impact merely reduces the short-term effectiveness of process.

See: Maximum Acceptable Outage (BCI)
 
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD)

PTSD is caused by a major traumatic E/I/C where a person experienced, witnessed or was confronted with an E/I/C that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury or threat to the physical integrity of self or others, and the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness or horror.
See: Trauma Counselling and Trauma Management (BCI)
 
Press Conference

The provision of an organisation spokesperson(s) at a specific venue and time(s) to brief and answer any questions or enquiries from the media. (BCI)
Prevention

Plans and processes that will allow an organization to avoid, preclude, or limit the impact of a crisis occurring. The tasks included in prevention should include compliance with corporate policy, mitigation strategies, and behavior and programs to support avoidance and deterrence and detection. (ASIS)
Probability

The chance of a risk occurring. (BCI)
Reciprocal Agreement


An arrangement by which one organisation agrees to use another’s resource in the event of a Business Continuity E/I/C. (BCI)

Agreement between two organisations (or two internal business groups) with basically the same equipment/same environment that allows each one to recover at each other’s site. (DRII)