The current health crisis has affected us all without distinction. Homes, hospitals, schools, factories, shopping malls, and telecommunications networks, to name a few examples, have all been harmed in one way or another. As a result of this situation, we face a ”new reality,” and with it, new challenges.
Vertiv is considered an essential company by the US Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency, as it provides a fundamental digital infrastructure that makes IT and telecommunications networks working continuously, and our employees are also essential. They allow us to operate and enable the continuity of the infrastructure of critical activities such as banks, hospitals, telecommunications, educational institutions, transportation, among many others.
But these crucially important activities face particular challenges. On the one hand, there is a risk of unavailability of key personnel due to disease or quarantine, and on the other hand, impacts that could affect the operator's ability to maintain continuous availability in the long term.
How do we face the uncertainty and security challenges of continuing to operate during the health crisis?
In a recent advisory report on minimizing risk in mission-critical facilities, the data center advisory organization Uptime Institute provides a wide range of tools, recommendations, and steps to take to help operators of critical infrastructure facilities during the crisis:
- Develop a specific pandemic preparedness plan. A staggered response must be incorporated, as well as identifying the actions to be taken at each level and the circumstances that would trigger the implementation of the next level.
- Consult with insurance companies and legal advisors on relevant matters, such as cleaning requirements, service level agreements (SLAs), notifications, etc.
- Consider the impact of IT services, especially if upgrades or migrations are planned or new capacity is added.
- Maintain communication with staff, clients and partners.
- Anticipate interruptions in the supply chain (disinfectant, wipes, hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, non-contact thermometers, etc.)
- Avoid unnecessary risks. Consider postponing or canceling projects or activities that may increase the risk of infection.
- Ensure there are spare batteries on hand for UPS systems and other battery reliant tools, as well as other spare parts like filters for thermal systems, etc.
Along with these recommendations, you might also consider some of the steps Vertiv has taken to allow our facilities to remain open and our service employees to remain at their jobs.
Cleaning, at this time, becomes a critical service. In factories, for example, employees have been instructed to use pharmaceutical cleaning products and have access to disinfectant wipes to clean their own workstations during the workday. Work shifts have been reviewed, access to locations has been controlled, and office sharing has been avoided in order to maintain social distancing measures. We have also implemented a “voluntary quarantine” in the event that an employee feels ill, or has a close family member who feels ill, they can opt to work from home, if they have a job that allows it.
Additional measures have included restricted travel; postponement of non-essential jobs; coordination with suppliers to safeguard operations; process automation and maximization of collaboration tools; and the use of command centers, or virtual War rooms, to ensure the operations team is in sync. We have also implemented practices to ensure documentation with emergency protocols, action protocols, both maintenance and operation, to take them to a virtual location and be able to share and update them.
We have a global response team that is addressing many of our partners' requests to help them assimilate processes, provide remote monitoring and maintenance services, as well as dispatching technicians virtually.
While the pandemic journey has been a challenge to people and businesses across the globe, we are committed to responding with empathy, flexibility and protective best practices. Our primary focus is to continue providing our customers and partners with the services and technologies that support the operational continuity of their business.
