(Last updated on 5th July 2022)
The DSB received several queries in relation to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) which was characterised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
Impact COVID-19 may have on the DSB Services.
The DSB wishes to remind users that its Technology Services have been implemented in the Public Cloud with a highly available configuration in a primary region with a warm standby in a secondary region. None of the infrastructure concerned is located in any of the DSB’s operational offices and hence the services themselves are divorced from the DSB’s operational sites.
The DSB Site Business Continuity Plan (BCP) therefore focuses on the safety of our staff in conjunction with ensuring continuity of the services for our clients. The DSB’s site BCP is for staff to work remotely during periods of office unavailability or inaccessibility, a plan which is regularly tested throughout the year. Given the escalation of COVID-19 to pandemic status, our annual full Site BCP tests were expedited and run on Friday 13th March 2020. This activity was unnoticeable to users with no impact to normal service during this period.
On Monday 16th March 2020, the DSB entered into full site BCP for our Manila site. This was followed on Tuesday 17th March 2020 with our London site also entering full site BCP. The two offices have reopened and staff are working in a hybrid model. The DSB continue to monitor developments including guidance provided by the relevant local government authorities and will provide periodic status updates.
The DSB implemented a change freeze on Friday 20th March 2020 which ran until Friday 10th April 2020 when the DSB entered a state of Heightened Awareness. During this Heightened Awareness Period (HAP) change was permitted but was subject to additional governance and controls. The DSB provided users with timely communication to assist them with their preparations. The DSB has worked closely with the TAC to monitor this situation and the HAP was extended through to Sunday 3rd July 2022 at which point the DSB has returned to BAU.
The DSB continues to monitor the situation closely and will provide further updates should additional action be required.
