HEAnet statement on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Home > HEAnet statement on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

In light of concern regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its broader societal impacts in Ireland and elsewhere, HEAnet are deeply aware of the organisations and individuals depending on us and reaffirms its future focused commitment to supporting all our clients and delivering continuity of service and support.

HEALTH & SAFETY

The health and safety of employees, clients and all our friends and families is our highest priority. HEAnet are closely monitoring the evolving impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Ireland and are following Irish government and World Health Organisation advice regarding both internal and international travel.

We are working in line with Government and HSE guidelines currently in place.

(This page was last updated on 26th January 2021)

CONTINUITY OF SERVICE

HEAnet believes that the current unprecedented circumstances will NOT have a direct impact on the services we provide to clients.

The HEAnet Network has multiple resilient connections to the General Internet and there is sufficient capacity to cope with a shift to remote working and teaching. We are constantly engaging with and working with our connectivity partners to ensure that extra bandwidth can be provided at short notice in the unlikely event it is required.

Where possible normal service upgrades and changes are continuing, however in many cases physical access restrictions on client and commercial sites and staff safety considerations are delaying non-critical work. The option to implement temporary change freezes in order to reduce disruption to services is still available.

The situation is not currently affecting existing network services to the NREN and R&E community in Europe and we are remaining in contact with the GÉANT Operations Centre.

ONGOING MONITORING

HEAnet will continue to monitor the situation, are regularly in communication with key suppliers of equipment, logistics and engineering services, and will inform clients of any significant changes to the current approach. We will also update you if the situation starts to impact on the operation of our services to clients.

POSITIVE IMPACT

HEAnet understands this is a time of unprecedented stress and demand for many of our clients. We understand that our clients across the education and research community are depending on us to facilitate the process of working and studying from home.

In line with our core value of making a positive impact, we are collectively committed to meeting this challenge in supporting our society and one another in continuing to work, study and communicate.

ONGOING STATUS & UPDATES

This page will be updated regularly to reflect significant Coronavirus related updates.
Please ensure you always have the latest information.

If you require further information on our response to coronavirus you can contact us at:

SOCIAL DISTANCING

In light of the ongoing situation with Coronavirus, HEAnet are continuing to take steps to minimise any risk to our staff or clients. As such, we are still conducting any meetings with clients, suppliers or partners over video rather than in person.

Where technical on-site works need to take place we will contact relevant clients to confirm if access is allowed.

USEFUL LINKS

HSE – coronavirus: overview
Department of Education & Skills – coronavirus: overview
Irish Government – coronavirus: what is happening