You can find the german version here.
Microsoft is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and has a global, all-hazards approach to its business continuity and crisis management planning, this includes a Pandemic Response Plan.
How we at Microsoft Austria react: We opened our office in Vienna in 1991 and have been investing in this location ever since. We have 340 highly qualified employees working in sales, support, marketing, gaming and development. This extensive experience means that we have resilient response protocols in place. We are aware that each of our customers and partners is facing their own challenges in connection with the coronavirus (Covid-19). Of course, as Microsoft, we do not want to become part of the problem of our customers and partners, but instead we want to contribute as much as possible to solving the problems resulting from a pandemic.
External Visitors
We take the safety and wellbeing of our employees, customers, and partners very seriously. Microsoft Austria are adhering to all relevant guidance from Austrian Health Authorities and are continuously evaluating the situation.
In line with the recommendations of the Austrian Federal Government, we are trying to minimize social contacts as far as possible and to host events and meetings online for the majority of the time.
Guidance for visiting Microsoft Austria Premises
- Visitor Policy: If you have been to an affected place, identified by Austrian Health Authorities and the Foreign Ministry in the last 14 days, or had contact with somebody with COVID-19, or are displaying symptoms including a cough, fever, or shortness of breath we would ask you to protect yourself and others by remaining at home and contacting your local doctor by phone immediately. Please do not enter any Microsoft premises in these situations. Information on the risk classification of individual countries is provided and continuously updated by the Foreign Ministry.
- Onsite Cleanliness: We have increased the frequency of cleaning across our entire portfolio. Hand sanitizer is available throughout the building and we ask all visitors upon arrival to wash their hands with soap and water, avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth, and covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue and discarding it into the bin. We are requesting that handshakes and other physical contact upon greeting should be avoided.
- Onsite Meetings: At Microsoft we strive to create an open and inclusive environment as part of our approach to business; to this end we are recommending digital options for participants who may prefer to join meetings remotely. Please check with your Microsoft host to ensure your meeting is taking place as planned and consider online attendance before travelling to a Microsoft location. In line with Austrian Health Authorities’ guidance, or should Microsoft deem it necessary to close or restrict office access, we will contact you through your meeting host. In such instances we thank you for your cooperation and support.
- Additional measures: We are reviewing additional measures in line with our business continuity plan and potential government guidance. Additional measures may also be introduced by our landlords in shared environments. We would ask all external visitors to cooperate with our safety and security teams operating at every location for the protection of everyone.
The Austrian Ministry of Health publishes a site with information for the public on the situation.
We appreciate that each of our customers and partners may be facing their own unique challenges associated with Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19). Our Microsoft team has worked to ensure that using Microsoft as a supplier and trusted partner is not one of those challenges. To that end we provide the information below:
Government Partnership
We are closely following Government guidance through Austrian Ministry of Health as well as guidance from Foreign Ministry and are supporting these efforts through our work across government departments.
Microsoft Employees
We have a global health response team that takes action to help protect our employees based on the evaluation of risk communicated by global health authorities and local conditions. We have advanced business continuity plans in place to minimize disruption to our business operations, and those of our customers and partners. These include flexible working arrangements for our employees, a comprehensive enterprise business continuity and disaster recovery program, and a global support organization with 24×7 geo-diverse team.
Customers & Partners
We will continue to monitor government guidance and will review our plans on a case by case basis for key events and engagements. We will communicate with customers and partners if required based upon their communications preferences with Microsoft.
All Microsoft events are held digitally or postponed depending on the scope of each event.
Working remotely with Microsoft Teams
Currently, we are receiving a lot of questions with regards to recommendations and help on working and learning remotely. At Microsoft, it is our mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. For more information on our commitment to customers and partners during COVID-19, please read this blog. For parents or educators looking for information on remote learning, please read this blog.
Business Continuity
The Microsoft Board of Directors annually authorizes the Enterprise Business Continuity Management (BCM) Program Office to provide governance, oversight, and support for BCM across business and support organizations at Microsoft through a policy statement and program charter. The Continuity Council is chartered to drive business continuity sponsorship, awareness, resource allocation, and program accountability across the enterprise including regular incident management rehearsals and training. We are not aware of any issues impacting the use of Microsoft cloud services for Austrian customers. Microsoft has a robust supply chain contingency plan for Austrian market. Given this is a dynamic situation it is too early for Microsoft to speculate regarding supply chain implications. Our focus is on maintaining our high standards of service at all times for our customers and partners.
All current and relevant information concerning Covid-19 is continuously updated by the Austrian Ministry of Health at www.sozialministerium.at.
If you have any questions, please contact the official Coronavirus Hotline at 0800 555 621.
Last Revised: 26th May 2020
Further Microsoft informations and announcements regarding Covid-19:
