To ensure its business continuity, NSD has in place and continuously improves the business continuity management system based on the recognized standards and global best practices.

The business continuity management system covers the entirety of NSD’s key areas of business and is focused on:

Ensuring safety of company employees and NSD’s visitors;
Ensuring NSD’s ability to meet its obligations to clients and partners in the event of disruption of the company’s normal operations;
Prevention of potential disruption of the company’s normal operations;
Mitigation of financial and non-financial consequences of emergencies;
Restoration of the normal operations following an emergency; and
Maintaining the level of management at NSD, which allows for making reasonable and optimal management decisions and implementing them in a timely fashion and in full.

The work aimed at ensuring the reliability of critical processes is systematic and consistent. Business continuity management is supported by NSD’s senior executives, with necessary resources being allocated to ensure the proper level of continuity of business processes.

NSD has in place adequate backup infrastructure (the backup site and backup data center) that meets all of the requirements applicable to such facilities.

In addition, NSD has in place Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans that are tested, reviewed, and updated on a continuous basis.

FULL-SCOPE BUSINESS CONTINUITY EXERCISES

In 2019, multiple tests were conducted, which covered various areas of NSD’s business, including tests involving clients, the regulator, municipal service agencies, and service providers.

In addition to testing disaster recovery of IT systems and utilities, NSD, as part of its business continuity efforts, conducts cross-functional emergency situation exercises, which involve relocation of the company’s critical business functions to the backup site in accordance with the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans.

Specific attention is paid to managing communications with stakeholders and to disclosure of information regarding emergencies.

In line with the global best practices, representatives of stakeholders are invited to take part in exercises as observers.

The positive outcomes of the exercises and tests prove the high level of NSD’s preparedness to ensure the continuity of its services for clients in an emergency.

It should be specifically said that NSD, in its business continuity efforts, is clientoriented. In 2019, the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan for Corporate Actions Conducted by NSD’s Clients was tested together with clients. Special work areas at NSD’s offices are always available to clients to enable them to conduct a corporate action when the client’s offices could not be used for that purpose.