Business continuity and disaster recoveryRoyal Mint issues urgent call for disaster recovery system

The U.K. Royal Mint has issued an accelerated procedure contract notice for the urgent introduction of improved disaster recovery services. The government owned company, which produces coins and banknotes, said a recent review had identified that the current disaster recovery setup was not satisfactory. “A recent review of business continuity plans identified a requirement for a more robust and speedier recovery of IT systems in the event of a major disaster,” the Royal Mint said in a contract notice. “There is a need to satisfy this requirement with speed.” It added: “The contract will balance cost against disruption to the business.” Leo King writes in ComputerworldUK that the Royal Mint is looking for bidders who can initiate disaster recovery operations within four hours in its primary computer room, which contains application and data servers. It also wants the provision of a “small number” of PCs, printers, phones and internet access in such an event. The notice was issued on 2 June, but bidders were only given until 14 June to submit tenders or requests to participate. The Royal Mint has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Under a business improvement plan, the Royal Mint is “overhauling completely” its financial systems, laying off jobs and making processes more efficient, following several years of financial losses. The company said in its latest annual report “there is now much greater clarity in the operation of financial systems and the greater understanding this fosters has actively been promoted throughout the organisation.” In March, a Commons Treasury Committee report said “more work will need to be done” for the Royal Mint to meet tough profitability targets it had set itself. The Royal Mint jumped to a £1.2 million profit in the last documented financial year, to 2007, compared with a £1.6 million loss the year before.