Important: Databank’s Response to COVID-19

Dear DataBank Customer,

This past week has seen a significant rise in confirmed cases of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, across our country. At DataBank, we take these situations very seriously and wanted to take a moment to address our stance and the actions being taken to protect your people, our people, facilities, and critical mission workloads.

Please be assured that your safety and health is always our primary concern. This communication is very important to read thoroughly and pay attention to so that you are informed and prepared to help DataBank protect you and our other customers.

In early January of 2020, DataBank began to prepare for this event and drafted a COVID-19 response plan. These are supplemental documents and plans to our standard BCP/DR plan. The plan is confidential to DataBank. DataBank will be sharing this document as an attestation of the plan and update this document with frequently asked questions (FAQ) as time progresses. This document is provided under the Compliance->Security Documents section of our Portal.

How is DataBank responding to this event?

The DataBank leadership team met in Dallas on Thursday, March 5th, to review and enact our plan based on a real-world situation. Our intention is to provide an appropriate, measured response. This email contains some very specific guidelines that we have enacted. We intend to adjust to the situation as new data becomes available. The leadership team will continue to meet at least on a weekly basis and more frequently if the situation warrants. We will update you as needed.

How will DataBank communicate changes with us?

DataBank will communicate changes to our Data Center access or other functions through email to your assigned point of contact (as defined by the Portal) or via web announcements.

Access to the Data Center:

Access to the Data Centers will remain “normal” for the time being. We have assessed the risks of each of our centers and determined that each are in low impact areas.

An alternative solution to your employees coming to our data centers is to utilize the DataBank Remote Hands functions. If you are not a current subscriber to this service, please let us know and we can accommodate temporary needs.

What happens if I feel sick or observe someone who is?

• Please do not come to the Data Center if you are not feeling well. We would prefer to work with you through our Remote Hands functions. Please err on the side of caution.
• If you observe another visitor appearing to be sick, politely suggest they go home or let Data Center Operations staff know, and they will take action.
• Do not come to the Data Center if you have been in close contact (defined for our purposes as spending 15 minutes or more with the person in the last 14 days, or living in the same household) with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or who has been asked to self-quarantine.
• Cover your mouth when sneezing and coughing
• If you run a fever, please stay home.
• Wipe down your work area including desk, phone, cell phones, etc.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing the happy birthday song twice), regularly.
• Employ “social distancing” measures.  DON’T SHAKE HANDS.  If someone extends their hand to you, just explain why you’re not shaking hands right now.  A nod, foot tap or elbow tap is perfect etiquette in the current environment. In an in-person meeting, keep an empty chair between each participant if possible. Consider whether it is necessary to congregate in one office for conference calls as opposed to participating from your own office.

Travel:

DataBank has restricted its staff to essential travel only until at least the end of April 2020.

DataBank has stopped travel to or from high risk regions (Asia, Iran, Italy, Spain, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York City, Toronto) or high-risk functions (cruises, resorts, conferences). If you have been in these areas, please refrain from coming to the Data Center and utilize remote hands functions.

Staffing:

To prepare for an event that prevents DataBank employees from working at a DataBank facility, DataBank is conducting a Continuity of Operations test specific to this event. Each employee is being asked to work from home and verify previously tested functions.

DataBank has developed a minimum staffing plan for each Data Center in the event that an area is hard hit. This plan includes ensuring that facilities are manned and monitored appropriately by trained personnel.

Health Materials:

DataBank is stockpiling the appropriate disinfectant supplies, masks, hand sanitizer in each data center. Once deployed, if you see supplies running low or feel there should be other types of materials, please contact Data Center Operations.

DataBank will be sanitizing the biometric hand and finger readers on an hourly basis with at least 60% alcohol solutions as suggested by the CDC. If you do not want to use the biometric readers, you may request escorted access to your cage, with proper verification of identity and credentials.

Supply Chain Disruptions:

The leaders of the Managed Services team and Data Center Operations are aware of possible disruptions to the supply chain and are taking appropriate measures to ensure supplies are received in a timely manner. This includes all vendors.

Now is the time to be vigilant and be cautious, but also realistic. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our preparation, please direct any question to CISO@DataBank.com.