A Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is a systematic and objective process fundamental to an ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). Its primary purpose is to identify an organization's critical activities and the resources that support them. The BIA analyzes the impacts of a disruption to these activities over time, providing the data needed to set priorities for recovery. This formal assessment of organizational activities and their interdependencies is crucial for determining recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs), thereby forming the foundation for the business continuity strategy.

A. Business Security Analysis: Focuses on identifying and mitigating security threats and vulnerabilities to assets, not on the time-sensitive impact of disrupting operational activities.

C. Business Continuity Analysis: This is a broad, non-specific term. A Business Impact Analysis is a specific, formal type of analysis required within a BCMS.

D. Business Strategic Analysis: Evaluates an organization's long-term goals, market position, and competitive environment, rather than its operational resilience and recovery priorities.

1. ISO 22301:2019, Security and resilience — Business continuity management systems — Requirements.

Clause 8.2.2, "Business impact analysis and risk assessment," states, "The organization shall establish, implement and maintain a formal and documented process for business impact analysis..." It specifies that the BIA must include "a) identifying activities that support the provision of its products and services;" and "b) assessing the impacts over time of not performing these activities;". This directly defines the BIA as the objective approach for assessing organizational activities.

2. Herbane, B. (2019). Rethinking business continuity management. Continuity & Resilience Review, 1(1), 38-51.

Page 43, Section "Business Impact Analysis (BIA)": The article describes the BIA as a "cornerstone of BCM" that "identifies the organization’s critical activities, the effect that a disruption would have on them and the resources required to resume the activities." This supports the BIA as the formal assessment process. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CRR-03-2019-0003

3. Bajgoric, N. (2014). Business continuity management: A systemic framework for implementation. Kybernetes, 43(2), 156-177.

Page 165, Section "Business Impact Analysis": This paper explains that the BIA is the "process of analyzing business activities and the effect that a business disruption might have upon them." It emphasizes that the BIA provides "a basis for identifying information and processes that are most critical to the organization." This confirms its role as an objective assessment tool. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/K-09-2013-0201