ISO 22301
International standard for business continuity management systems
EU AI Act
EU regulation for risk-based AI safety and governance
Quick Verdict
ISO 22301 provides voluntary BCMS certification for global resilience against disruptions, while EU AI Act mandates risk-based compliance for AI systems in EU markets with heavy fines. Companies adopt ISO 22301 for trust and efficiency; AI Act for legal market access.
ISO 22301
ISO 22301:2019 Business continuity management systems — Requirements
Key Features
- PDCA cycle for continual BCMS improvement
- Mandates BIA to prioritize critical functions
- Risk assessments targeting disruption threats
- Annex SL alignment integrates with ISO 27001
- Three-year certification with annual surveillance
EU AI Act
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on artificial intelligence
Key Features
- Risk-based four-tier classification framework
- Prohibits unacceptable AI practices outright
- High-risk conformity assessments and CE marking
- GPAI systemic risk evaluations and reporting
- Tiered fines up to 7% global turnover
Detailed Analysis
A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.
ISO 22301 Details
What It Is
ISO 22301:2019 is an international certification standard for Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS). It provides requirements to protect against, reduce likelihood of, respond to, and recover from disruptions, ensuring critical products and services continue. Built on a risk-based PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle with Annex SL high-level structure.
Key Components
- Clauses 4-10 cover context, leadership, planning (BIA/RA), support, operations, evaluation, improvement.
- No fixed controls; flexible, tailored requirements.
- Core principles: resilience, continual improvement, integration.
- Certification valid 3 years with annual surveillance audits.
Why Organizations Use It
Enhances resilience, minimizes downtime/financial losses, ensures regulatory compliance (e.g., NIS Directive), builds stakeholder trust/reputation. Offers competitive edges like procurement advantages, lower insurance premiums. Addresses risks from cyberattacks, pandemics, disasters.
Implementation Overview
Gap analysis, BIA, risk assessment, policy development, training, testing, audits. Applies to all sizes/sectors globally. Typical 60 days to 6 months via tools; two-stage certification process.
EU AI Act Details
What It Is
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the EU AI Act, is a comprehensive horizontal regulation establishing the first EU-wide framework for artificial intelligence. It adopts a risk-based approach, prohibiting unacceptable-risk practices, imposing strict obligations on high-risk systems, transparency for limited-risk, and minimal rules for others.
Key Components
- **Four risk tiersprohibited, high-risk (Annex I/III), limited-risk (transparency), minimal-risk.
- High-risk requirements: risk management (Art. 9), data governance (Art. 10), documentation (Arts. 11-13), oversight (Art. 14), cybersecurity (Art. 15).
- GPAI models (Chapter V) with systemic risk duties.
- Conformity assessments, CE marking, EU database registration; presumption via harmonized standards.
Why Organizations Use It
Mandatory for EU market access; fines up to 7% global turnover. Enhances safety, trust, competitiveness; mitigates litigation/reputational risks.
Implementation Overview
Phased rollout (6-36 months); inventory/classify AI, build compliance systems, conformity assessments. Applies EU-wide to providers/deployers; cross-sectoral, audit-heavy for high-risk.
Key Differences
| Aspect | ISO 22301 | EU AI Act |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Business continuity management systems (BCMS) | Risk-based regulation of AI systems |
| Industry | All sectors worldwide, all sizes | All sectors in EU, high-risk focus |
| Nature | Voluntary international certification standard | Mandatory EU regulation with fines |
| Testing | BIA, exercises, audits every 3 years | Conformity assessments, post-market monitoring |
| Penalties | Loss of certification, no fines | Up to 7% global turnover fines |
Scope
Industry
Nature
Testing
Penalties
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about ISO 22301 and EU AI Act
ISO 22301 FAQ
EU AI Act FAQ
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