Operational continuity

Zucchetti Spa's Operational Continuity Policy

Organizations are increasingly facing adverse events of all kinds (with growing exposure to economic, social, medical, environmental, and technological threats), which can jeopardize their operations or even their very survival.

For this reason, Zucchetti's management has decided to adopt a system that enables the organization to structure itself in a way that can handle all unforeseen events that may harm the continuity of business operations. The goal is, as much as possible, to avoid service interruptions in order to prevent economic, legal, and reputational damage. This involves reducing the likelihood of negative events occurring, preparing for them, and responding appropriately to restore operations as quickly as possible if the incident causing the crisis occurs.

Among the tools that can be adopted to anticipate and prepare to respond effectively to such disruptions is the adoption of a BCMS - Business Continuity Management System, as defined by the ISO 22301 standard.

The ultimate goal is to ensure an adequate Business Continuity Plan for the provision of essential products/services, in compliance with the service agreements made with reference customers, to be adopted following an incident that would otherwise threaten the very existence of the organization.

In implementing this strategy, it is required to:

• Conduct an economic impact analysis (BIA);
• Conduct a risk assessment related to Business Continuity;
• Establish Business Continuity Plans, conduct periodic tests of the plans, and keep them updated;
• Promote awareness and provide training for staff on these topics;
• Understand the needs and requirements of the organization and stakeholders to establish objectives for business continuity, ensuring that they are aligned with the organization’s strategic direction;
• Manage and maintain response processes, capabilities, and structures, integrating them with operational processes to ensure that the organization can survive disruptions;
• Implement and make operational controls and measures to manage the organization’s capacity in handling operational disruptions (discontinuities) caused by accidental events;
• Monitor and review the performance and effectiveness of the business continuity management system;
• Continuously improve the system based on qualitative and quantitative metrics (measurable objectives).

The final objectives can therefore be summarized as follows:

• Preserve the growth, value, and reputation of the organization, thereby increasing the trust of stakeholders and interested parties;
• Build the capacity to continue operating in a coordinated manner over time, even following an incident;
• Demonstrate diligence and sustainability in management;
• Improve competitive capability;
• Increase the organization's level of resilience;
• Propose ways to minimize the downtime of business processes and ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of recovery procedures until normal operations are restored;
• Monitor and review the performance and effectiveness of the BCMS with a view to continuous improvement.