IRD computers up and running again

Controller of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) Kelvin Pompey is adamant that his department suffered no loss of efficiency due to a computer system failure which occurred last week.{{more}}

According to Pompey, the computers began failing one by one, and by last week Tuesday the entire system went down, forcing employees to revert to manual transactions.

Pompey told SEARCHLIGHT that the public was very understanding of the situation and that it was the first time that the system had been down for any length of time in the 12 years since they have been using the Standardized Integrated Government Tax Administration System (SIGTAS).

Pompey said that the breakdown has taught them that they should always have a manual back-up system. He said in a few weeks’ time, the IRD will be installing a secondary server that will automatically come online should the primary one fail, thereby ensuring continuity of service.

“While we were down, we took the opportunity to upgrade, so we will be operating at a higher level of efficiency when this is over,” Pompey said. Full functionality was restored on Monday, November 10th. The IRD has over 125 employees who use a network of about 100 computers. (AC)