Corporate Services and Information Technology are the functions that provide a range of physical and technological infrastructure services to all…

This statement is true. In the context of a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) under ISO 22301, Information Technology and Corporate Services (which typically includes functions like Facilities Management, Human Resources, and Finance) are considered foundational support functions or shared services. The Business Impact Analysis (BIA) process, a mandatory component of ISO 22301, requires an organization to identify dependencies for its critical activities. IT provides the essential technological infrastructure (e.g., networks, servers, applications), while Corporate Services provides the physical infrastructure and environment (e.g., buildings, power, security). A disruption to these services would have a widespread impact across nearly all other business functions, making their continuity critical to the entire organization.

B. False: This is incorrect. Denying this statement would contradict the fundamental business continuity principle of identifying and managing dependencies on shared internal services, which is a core requirement for understanding organizational risk and resilience.

1. ISO 22301:2019, Security and resilience — Business continuity management systems — Requirements. Clause 8.2.2, "Business impact analysis," mandates that the BIA process shall "identify the dependencies and interdependencies of activities." IT and Corporate Services are primary examples of these internal dependencies that support prioritized activities.

2. Herbane, B. (2019). Rethinking business continuity management. Routledge. In Chapter 4, "The business impact analysis (BIA) process," the author discusses how the BIA uncovers reliance on "enabling functions" such as IT and facilities management, which are critical support services for an organization's primary activities (p. 67).

3. Elliott, D., Swartz, E., & Herbane, B. (2010). Business Continuity Management: A Crisis Management Approach (2nd ed.). Routledge. Chapter 5, "Business Impact Analysis," explains that a key output of the BIA is the identification of critical supporting resources, stating, "These resources may be internal, for example, the IT department or a specific production process..." (p. 103). This highlights the role of internal functions like IT as essential service providers.