Like many organisations, CentralNic Registry has been monitoring the development of the Coronavirus pandemic. To alleviate any concerns on the part of our key stakeholders (registry clients, registrars, domain registrants and Internet end-users), CentralNic wishes to provide the following information about the steps it is taking to ensure that this global medical emergency has no effect on the secure and stable operations of the registry system.
CentralNic's registry services are operated under an integrated business continuity management system which is certified against ISO 22301, the internationally recognised standard for Business Continuity Management. As such, CentralNic conducts impact and risk assessments for all aspects of its operations on a regular basis. It has well established and tested response plans in place, which can be activated when circumstances — such as a pandemic disease such as Coronavirus — arise.
When it became apparent that the Coronavirus outbreak was likely to develop into a global pandemic, CentralNic initiated a review of its business continuity response plans to ensure that they were adequate and comprehensive. It has also conducted tests to verify that all employees are able to work remotely without impediment, ensuring the minimization of any potential disruption. Our goal is to maintain operations without interruption of key services in the event of unforeseen circumstances that impact our colleagues, partnerships, or our ability to access our offices.
As an operator of critical internet infrastructure, CentralNic operates DNS and registry platforms that are already geographically distributed and diverse. These systems are managed and monitored remotely and can be operated indefinitely during a remote-working scenario. This also means that if one or more of CentralNic's hosting providers close their facilities, there will be no impact on CentralNic's ability to operate its systems. CentralNic's systems, processes and procedures have been designed and built such that they are not dependent on “remote hands” services, and can migrate registry operations to a standby data centre, should the need arise.
Similarly, to provide 24x7 support and operations coverage, CentralNic has technical and support staff located in multiple countries on different continents. This means that CentralNic's ability to support its registry partners and registrars during this period will not be affected.
CentralNic understands that its stakeholders are also dealing with the issue of ensuring business continuity and welcomes any questions or feedback on this issue. You can contact us at support@centralnic.com. Alternatively, our support staff are available 24x7 on +44 (0)20 33 88 0600.