BCI publishes comprehensive Continuity and Resilience Report 2025

Recognition of resilience as a standalone function has now reached 45.5%, up from 39.4% in 2023, while those respondents stating there’s no difference between business continuity and resilience within their organisations has fallen  to 40.2%. This clearer differentiation is helping organisations to align strategic oversight with day-to-day operational readiness and embed resilience across people, processes and technology.

For the second year running, the report confirms that business continuity is returning to its historical roots, with managers focusing more on core operational outcomes such as exercising and testing response and recovery strategies, minimising internal impact during disruptions and developing response and recovery plans. As resilience roles mature, business continuity’s operational accountability remains central to organisational uptime and recovery.

Board engagement and resourcing also continue to strengthen amid global volatility and increased disruption. 45.4% of organisations now have a dedicated resilience lead reporting directly to the Board, while 65.5% report increased financial and/or resource support for business continuity and resilience. Practitioners still want deeper Board-level representation and reporting lines are shortening, notably so in regulated sectors, thereby improving visibility and decision speed.

Modern skills 

The modern business continuity manager combines technical acumen with strong interpersonal skills. Problem-solving leads the skills list, followed by process orientation, communication, experience and collaboration, highlighting the role as a critical bridge between technical teams and senior leadership. 

Technology adoption remains uneven. Collaboration and alerting tools lead, while the uptake of business continuity planning SaaS, risk assessment platforms and in-house solutions signals a gradual shift towards integrated, data-driven ecosystems. Yet many organisations still rely on spreadsheets, underscoring the need for modernisation amid ongoing budget constraints.

Looking ahead, 95% of organisations are moving towards ‘incident-agnostic’ planning, preparing for effects rather than causes. These new flexible response capabilities are anticipated to be the main change over the next five years.

Respondents also anticipate rising emphasis on senior management attention, cross-team collaboration and Board-level support. The message is clear: real resilience demands real capabilities, not just compliance documentation.

Practical capability 

Maria Florencia Lombardero Garcia, thought leadership manager at the BCI, commented: “Organisations are increasingly distinguishing between business continuity and resilience, not only to meet regulatory requirements, but also to deliver real outcomes. Combined with the shift towards incident-agnostic planning, this signals a move from paperwork to practical capability.”

In addition, Maria Florencia Lombardero Garcia noted: “Board engagement and resourcing are rising as awareness grows of the value of business continuity and resilience, particularly so in the context of mounting volatility and disruption. The priority now is to convert that momentum into executable readiness across people, processes and technology so that organisations are better prepared for the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

John Verdi, senior director of professional services at Riskonnect, explained: “Resilience has become a defining capability for modern organisations. It’s no longer just about plans and procedures, but also about influence, adaptability and leadership. This year’s report highlights how the profession is evolving. We’re proud to sponsor this research with the BCI to give organisations insights they can act on to build resilience for the future.”

The Continuity and Resilience Report 2025 provides benchmarking data, practical insights and guidance to help organisations operationalise resilience, clarify roles and invest where it matters most.

*Access the BCI’s Continuity and Resilience Report 2025 online