Nowadays, companies get audited in a variety of ways. Many audits relate to financial and business performance, although there are notable exceptions such health and safety audits. Financial audits for example are intended to express an opinion by an impartial expert about the correctness and realism of the financial statements of an enterprise. Stakeholders and investors use auditing statements to guide them in their own assessment of the overall worth of a company. However, if auditors are to contribute useful, relevant information, they also need some measure of the robustness of the organisation. It is here that DRII certification can help. The certificate training courses defined by DRII and offered by DRI-ANZ cover the professional practices for business continuity planning and management. The existence of certified BC professionals in a company is an indication of the importance that is attached by that company to preparing to meet any business-threatening situations before they come about. The documented plans and procedures they produce using internationally recognised BC methods are demonstrable measures taken by the enterprise to protect its overall value, which is in turn an important signal to investors.
Better still, DRII certified professionals can work together with internal company auditors to increase the efficiency of the auditing process. Auditing in a business continuity sense is a continual process, not a once-a-year ritual. Information on readiness for business continuity for example can be gathered once, yet be used at least twice: for business continuity planning and for company auditing. The auditing process can yield better results in less time, which is also an advantage for organisations striving to meet different auditing regulations, standards and guidelines.