NEW YORK – April 14 – Disaster Recovery Institute International (‘DRI’), the global nonprofit certifying body for business continuity and related fields, today announced that it has now certified more than 15,000 professionals worldwide, a milestone indicating the increased importance of business continuity and disaster recovery.

“These numbers tell us that organizations are taking off their blinders and increasingly making business continuity, risk management, and disaster recovery a priority,” said DRI CEO and President Al Berman. “In the past year alone, the global business community has been impacted by terrorism, cyberattacks, natural disasters, transportation interruptions, and other critical events that threaten their operations. Trained business continuity professionals enable organizations to mitigate the impact to the customers, employees, and the bottom line.”

Among DRI’s 13 professional certifications, the ranks of Certified Business Continuity Professionals (CBCP) showed the largest overall growth. Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP) certifications continued on an upward trend, increasing 18 percent in 2016, on top of 17 percent growth in that category in 2015.

The MBCP certification represents a natural progression for current CBCPs to demonstrate their growth and experience as they advance in their careers. “Research shows that MBCPs record the highest compensation among certified business continuity professionals,” stated Berman. DRI’s healthcare and risk management certifications showed the most significant percentage increases, as both grew by more than 50 percent.

“As business continuity and risk management become more closely aligned, professionals are adding to their skill sets and ensuring that their credentials reflect both their responsibilities and changing organizational structures,” Berman said.

“With regard to healthcare, hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, in addition to recent cyberattacks, all show how critical it is for healthcare institutions to be prepared to manage and recover from disasters,” Berman explained. “It’s not enough to have a crisis management plan on the shelf. Healthcare facilities must be ready to operate during and recover from any incident. NYU Langone is an excellent example of how a medical center was adversely impacted by Hurricane Sandy and has since responded by dedicating significant resources to developing an organization-wide approach towards resilience.”

In 2016, DRI awarded NYU Langone Medical Center the first “Hub of Resilience” designation in recognition for the medical institution’s extraordinary commitment to preparedness and resilience. This designation recognized NYU Langone’s dedication to making its organization resilient, as well as its commitment to serving as a hub for information, education, and thought leadership to its community and the healthcare industry.

DRI International provides certification in business continuity, risk management, healthcare, and audit. Certification is a two-part process – demonstration of knowledge, accomplished through passing a qualifying examination, and confirmation of experience. Various levels of certification are offered, from associate to masters. The first step toward DRI certification is education. Courses are offered in the classroom at locations worldwide, online, and can be brought directly to organizations. Additional information about DRI offerings may be found at: www.drii.org.

About DRI International DRI International is the non-profit that helps organizations prepare for and recover from disasters. Founded in 1988, DRI International has more than 15,000 certified individuals in over 100 countries, and 93 percent of all Fortune 100 companies employ DRI certified professionals. In fact, more individuals are certified by DRI International than by all other organizations in our profession combined. In addition to certifying individuals, DRI assesses organizations to determine resilience and offers organizational accreditation.

DRI also serves continuity professionals through conferencing, outreach, and volunteerism. The annual DRI Conference brings resilience professionals together to network with experts and collaborate with their peers. Through its Collegiate Conferences series, DRI partners with universities to introduce students and faculty to this rapidly-growing profession. To further its outreach efforts, DRI introduced the 501(c)(3) non-profit Disaster Recovery International (DRI) Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to promote disaster risk reduction through partnership and education, as well as aid recovery efforts through fundraising and volunteerism. The Foundation is also committed to supporting veterans through the Veterans Outreach Program.

As a recognized expert resource, DRI acts in an advisory capacity to organizations and government institutions worldwide, helping to develop professional standards and promote greater resilience. DRI is a member of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s (UNISDR) Private Sector Working Group ARISE Initiative and was on the business and industry delegation to the negotiations of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. DRI is also an ANSI-accredited Standards Development Organization, a CQI and IRCA Approved Training Partner, and an International Organization Liaison Observer to ISO/TC 292 for standardization in the field of security to enhance the safety and resilience of society. For more information, visit www.drii.org.