ISO 22301 certification in Sri Lanka

ISO 22301 certification in Sri Lanka at a glance

Disaster recovery sites and telecommunications links are the practical heart of ISO 22301 in Sri Lanka's banking sector. Banking Act Directions No. 16 of 2021 require licensed banks to implement the latest edition of the standard, with assurance from internal audit or a Board-approved external party, and they require third-party owned infrastructure for critical information systems in Sri Lanka to hold ISO 22301 certification from an accredited certification body. The Finance Business Act Directions No. 01 of 2022 list business continuity plans among the responsibilities of a finance company's CISO. Certificates are issued by accredited certification bodies, never by Sterling, and SLAB's recognition page does not name business continuity among its management systems scopes. Sterling's Mumbai office helps organisations run impact analysis, design recovery strategies and exercise them, with Effivity software and Sterling Academy training included with the engagement.

Who needs ISO 22301 in Sri Lanka, and what happens without it

For some organisations in Sri Lanka it is a legal requirement. For most, the question comes from a buyer, a regulator or a partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Licensed banksBanking Act Directions No. 16 of 2021 require banks to implement the latest edition of ISO/IEC 22301 with assurance from internal audit or an approved external party.
• Data centre and hosting providers for banks in Sri LankaThird-party owned infrastructure for critical information systems in Sri Lanka must hold ISO 22301 certification from an accredited certification body.
• Licensed finance companiesThe Finance Business Act Directions list developing and implementing business continuity plans among the responsibilities of the finance company's CISO.
• ICT and business process management exportersOverseas customers ask outsourced providers to show tested continuity arrangements.

ISO 22301 requirements in Sri Lanka

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.

In Sri Lanka these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 22301 explained →

• ISO 22301 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22301 expects

How to get ISO 22301 certified in Sri Lanka

One team from the Mumbai office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Sri Lanka are served from Sterling's Mumbai office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 22301 and the Sri Lankan requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The ISO 22301 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22301 internal audit

How long does ISO 22301 certification take in Sri Lanka?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Sri Lanka these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Critical services and recovery requirements in scope
• Maturity of business impact analysis and exercise records
• Dependence on third-party sites and telecommunications
• Certification body scheduling and exercise observation

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 22301 certification cost in Sri Lanka?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Sri Lanka these factors move both.

• Headcount and number of sites in scope
• Number of critical processes and recovery sites
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Recovery site, backup and exercise costs

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of ISO 22301

ISO 22301 consultants and certification bodies in Sri Lanka

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 22301 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Sri Lanka are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

ISO 22301 in Sri Lanka: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22301 for Sri Lankan organisations

• ISO 22301: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 22301
• ISO 22301 certification in Sri Lanka and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Sri Lankan businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Sri Lanka often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 23 standards Sterling delivers in Sri Lanka →