G4S gains British Standards Institute accreditation

G4S Utility Services, one of the UK’s largest national providers of metering services including system provision and data processing has been awarded the British Standards Institute (BSI) internationally recognised business continuity standard BS25999

The Business Continuity standard specifies requirements for implementing, operating and improving a documented Business Continuity Management System (BCMS), describing requirements that can be objectively and independently audited.

Kim Challis, Managing Director of G4S Utility Services, commented: “Business Continuity is an important requirement for our customers.  It is no longer treated as a nice to have but more an absolute necessity. As the Smart metering rollout gathers pace it is imperative that our Smart IT and data processing systems (MOP / MAM) provide high availability, resilience and reliability of service”.

This means that the systems and services that G4S Utility Services provide are resilient, secure and available at all times : 

• processing and storing over 1 million data items every day - volume, quality and integrity tested by independent experts 

• proven interoperability capability remotely retrieving data from various types of Smart meters thereby reducing Suppliers’ churn risk

• remote readings and consumption data from over 100,000 Smart meters

• Supported by head office in Newcastle Upon Tyne providing back up to field staff with sales and account management support and a 24 / 7 Contact Centre.

To achieve this standard G4S Utility Services was able to demonstrate that it had developed a Business Continuity Management System which was embedded across all functions of the business. The accreditation programme was completed within 9 months during which time there was a complete review of business processes with identification and management of risks.

Contact details

• Alex Shephard (External Communications Executive): 0208 722 3038

About G4S

G4S Secure Solutions

G4S Secure Solutions is the largest security solutions company in the UK and Ireland with a turnover of more than £1 billion and 32,000 employees. More than 6,000 customers, including 59 FTSE 100 companies and the majority of UK Government departments, depend on G4S to provide them with a safe and secure way to deliver their services. For more information please visit www.g4s.uk.com

G4S Utility Services

G4S Utility Services was founded in 1996 and makes over 50 million visits to properties per year throughout the UK on behalf of major utility companies.  It also has a national field force of multi skilled employees who can read, maintain and install electricity and gas meters with associated system capability and with the ability to provide a full end to end smart solution including half hourly data retrieval and energy management information.