For years, business continuity was treated as a theoretical exercise in most Latin American organizations. A plan was created, filed, and reviewed once a year to satisfy the audit. That changed. In 2025, supply chain disruptions, ransomware attacks, and growing regulatory pressure proved that organizations without an operational continuity system face real consequences: client loss, regulatory sanctions, and in extreme cases, operational shutdown.
Three factors that changed the rules
1. Supply chain disruptions
Data from our research on ISO 22301 and supply chain shows that 43% of organizations in LATAM experienced at least one significant supply chain interruption in 2025. The problem is that 71% of those organizations had no specific response plan for that scenario. ISO 22301 clause 8.2.2 requires the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to identify critical dependencies including suppliers.
2. Cyber incidents as primary threat
Ransomware consolidated as the primary operational disruption vector in the region. Organizations without a tested continuity plan took an average of 23 days to restore critical operations. Those with an ISO 22301-compliant continuity management system did it in 4 days. The difference is not technology. It is preparation.
3. Growing regulatory pressure
Financial regulators in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile already require auditable continuity plans for supervised entities. ISO 27001:2022 control A.5.30 establishes a direct bridge between information security and continuity.
What your organization needs to comply
An ISO 22301-compliant business continuity management system requires: an updated BIA, a continuity-specific risk assessment, tested continuity plans with periodic exercises (clause 8.5), and an activatable response structure with documented roles and communication protocols.
The cost of not having continuity
If your organization still does not have an ISO 22301-compliant continuity system, or if you have one but never tested it, the time to act is now. A business continuity assessment identifies critical gaps within 72 operational hours. And an integrated cybersecurity program ensures incident recovery does not depend on improvisation.