- Becomes one of the first e-commerce companies to receive this certification for Business Continuity Management Systems by BSI India for 26 key sites including corporate office and Supply Chain
- BSI cites effective participation and awareness programs of staff at all levels to maintain Continuity Controls and promote Continuity Culture as one of the key tenets of this certification
Bengaluru, NFAPost: Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, has achieved the distinction of becoming India’s first e-commerce company to get aBusiness Continuity Management System (BCMS) certification after having met the stringent requirements set by British Standard Institute (BSI), an accredited business standards company, for the highly regarded certification.
This certification serves as a testament to Flipkart’s efforts towards ensuring the business continuity of its sites through effective program management and mobilisation of its workforce for seamless operations.
As part of this exercise, 26sites including Flipkart’s Corporate Office in Bengaluru and 25 other warehouses across the country received the ISO 22301:2012 certification in the first attempt. ISO 22301:2012, also known as ‘Societal security — Business continuity management systems — Requirements’ specifies requirements to plan, establish, implement, operate, monitor, review, maintain and continually improve a documented management system. This system aims to protect against, reduce the likelihood of occurrence, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruptive incidents when they arise.
Commenting on the certification, Flipkart Senior Director, Security and BCP Ratnakar Bade said Flipkart is committed to the creation of a robust business structure which serves the needs of the fast-evolving business environment and shields its operations and people from market and nature shocks.
“These initiatives helped us serve our customers better while maintaining the safety of our employees throughout the lockdown and unlock period. This recognition by the British Standard Institute stands as a testament to our efforts towards building a homegrown company with world-class operations,” said Ratnakar Bade.
He also pointed out that Flipkart continues to focus on making our business model and operations even more resilient, efficient, and productive than before and we will always seek to improve upon all aspects of our business and scale new heights of excellence.
As part of the Certification process, BSI conducted two-week-long audits which involved a rigorous process of documentation audits, Site Audits and interactions with a cross-section of employees, including leadership, to assess BCM Systems maturity.
Post this exercise, the audit body observed that Flipkart demonstrated an “Embedded” level, or Level 4, of BCMS maturity with “no deviations found during the entire course of the audit”.
Among the many observations it made, BSI noted that Flipkart’s recovery plans are effective and completely aligned to the specific need of it’s business requirements; the precautionary and response controls around Covid-19 were found to be highly effective; and the Flipkart team demonstrated the organisational capability and resilience to manage crises.
BSI IMETA Assurance Managing Director Theuns Kotzé said BSI has played a leading role in developing a new generation of standards to help organisations become more agile, sustainable and resilient.
“With India becoming one of the fastest-growing economies globally, understanding what it takes to ensure an organisation’s survival and prosperity can be more challenging than ever. The adoption and certification to ISO 22301 standard demonstrate Flipkart’s ongoing commitment to continual improvement. During our audit, we found that Flipkart was well prepared with robust and agile plans. On behalf of BSI, I would like to congratulate the entire Flipkart team for this fantastic achievement,” said Theuns Kotzé.
BSI India Senior General Manager – IT/ITES Certification Ravindra N said Flipkart has taken proactive steps to implement Business Continuity Management system across its organisation in India.
“Looking at underlying drivers of disruptions; managing supply chain complexity is a major challenge, and concern especially with the current pandemic outbreak. During extensive audits conducted across the sampled location, its systems were found to be effective,” said Ravindra N.
He said Flipkart Security and Business Continuity team has worked diligently to achieve certification in this challenging environment to maintain trust of the company’s clients, employees and shareholders. “Congratulations to the entire Flipkart team,” said Ravindra N.
The ISO 22301:2012 certification will help improve communication, planning and administration processes at Flipkart and bring about a positive cultural change in the organisation. Flipkart continues to work towards creating value for its customers and stakeholders, expanding, and enabling its ecosystem, and driving responsible business growth.
