Summer 1996 Articles

Disaster Recovery Journal

Volume 9, Issue 3
Summer 1996

Merger of DRI International and Business Continuity International

Greetings to all from the Disaster Recovery Institute International! Since the historic announcement several months ago that talks had begun between the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) and DRI International regarding a possible merger of our respective certification programs, much work has been done to set up the framework for this merger. On June 6, 1996, a meeting of the Transition Committee (consisting of representatives from both organizations) took place in Chicago, IL, the first of many such meeting to create what will be the "best of both worlds" - the finest worldwide certification program available in our industry!

The agreement in principle between the two organizations is the result of almost two years of effort in addressing the need for a common set of certification standards and a single set of qualifications for business continuity/disaster recovery practitioners. The discussions to date have discovered many areas of similarity in the goals and operations of the two organizations. In addition, they have also identified the following three main differences between the two programs:

1. The DRI’s Common Body of Knowledge is comprised of nine Subject Areas while the BCI’s Certification Standards consists of 13 Units of Competence. A preliminary review indicates the differences between the two documents are more in their organization than in the substance of that information.

2. The categories of membership and the levels of certification within each organization’s program have similarities but do not produce an exact match.

3. The process for achieving certification within each of the programs differs to some extent. The "new" Institute will receive a new name; its international headquarters will be located in St. Louis, Mo.; and it will initially include Canada, the United Kingdom/Europe, and the United States as "International Affiliates" with their own organizations and administrative offices. The combined international membership of the new organization will be in excess of 2, 000.

Individuals currently involved in the certification process need not be concerned about any negative impacts on their applications (there will be none). As we move closer to the target merger date of January 1, 1997, announcements detailing our progress will be made as quickly as possible. So stay tuned to this page in the DRJ for developments in this major step forward for our industry!

Canadian CDRPs Receive Information on DRI Canada

In a recent letter which was sent to all CDRPs in Canada, the Chairman of the DRI Canada Board of Directors, Colin Millar, announced the official establishment of DRI Canada. At the initial meeting of the DRI Canada Board of Directors on May 9, 1996, that organization was formed as the first International Affiliate of DRI International and it announced that an interim Board of Directors and a Certification Committee had been established to guide the organization through the transitional/start-up phase. All Canadian CDRP’s were also admitted to membership in DRI Canada at that time.

The letter also invited all Canadian CDRPs to attend an information meeting which was held in Hamilton, Ontario on June 16 in conjunction with the World Conference on Disaster Management. At that meeting, representatives from both DRI Canada and DRI International outlined the programs and services to be provided by DRI Canada, answered questions from the members, and solicited comments on the new organization structure.

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Last Updated--Tuesday, July 16, 1996.