Why you need to manage this risk

Key business assets are the organisation’s assets which are essential to its continued function and whose loss would materially impair the organisation’s ability to carry on. Like any asset, a key asset can be tangible (such as a paperclip or a factory) or intangible (such as a patent or software).

Often, your organisation’s key business assets serve to distinguish it from competitors, ie they are:

1. •

   new and unique

2. •

   a significant improvement on what other organisations use, or

3. •

   commonly found assets but used in a different way by your organisation

The key risks associated with key business assets are:

1. •

   failure to identify which assets are key to the business—an analysis may reveal unexpected results

2. •

   people—securing the contribution of employees with unique skills or knowledge

3. •

   loss of tangible assets—how to plan for the temporary or permanent loss of assets such as properties, machinery, equipment, etc which are key to your organisation’s success

4. •

   protection of intangible assets—the protection and defence of assets such as ideas,