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Status update on IT outage resolution
Thank you for your patience as we continue to assess the impact of the global IT outage on our systems.
Based on current best estimates, more than 7,000 USPTO employees could be impacted by the faulty code deployed yesterday by CrowdStrike. Our IT Service Desk is still fielding an extremely high call volume despite doubling our support staff. At peak, the IT Service Desk queue exceeded 600 employees with an estimated wait time of three and a half hours.
Next steps
If you have been impacted and are not already on hold in the IT Service Desk queue, please call 571–272–9000 and leave a voicemail with your name, phone number, workstation ID (located on front of laptop starting with EGUSXXXXXXX) and availability over the weekend when you will be near your computer. IT technicians will work to contact you during your availability window if possible and in the order calls are received to resolve the issue. Please note our review of your voicemail may not meet your availability window. We are doing what we can to streamline the process and reduce wait time.
If you already have a ticket number, an IT technician will call you back as soon as possible in the order your call was received. The IT technician will reference your specific Ticket Number prior to proceeding with your resolution (a legitimate Ticket Number begins with INC followed by a Zero “0” and six additional numbers – EX: INC 0123456).
If you miss the call back from the Service Desk, an IT technician will leave a voicemail message with your Ticket Number. When you are available at your computer for resolution, send an email from your personal email address to ServiceDesk@uspto.gov, with your Ticket Number in the subject line, and an IT technician will call you as quickly as possible. If you do not include the Ticket Number you will not receive a reply.
Current work
Our current goal is to work through those with ticket numbers and then will turn to those users who left voicemails. This work will continue into the weekend. We have added more IT technicians and extended IT Service Desk hours:
- Friday, 5:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. ET
- Saturday & Sunday, 7:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. ET
Throughout the weekend, we will post updates to the System 411 blogregarding the voicemail receipt window currently being addressed. For example:
“We are currently listening and processing voicemail messages received to the IT Service Desk on Friday, 7/19/24 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET”
This is an unprecedented service interruption. We are working diligently to rethink our usual processes to ensure timely service and minimize your wait time.
Additionally, beginning Monday morning at 8 a.m. ET, we will have on-site IT support for employees in the Alexandria, VA area who would prefer to come to campus to resolve the issue. IT staff will be located outside the Public Search Facility in the Madison East atrium.
Accounting for time
I know this has caused stress and frustration, and there are many questions. We will be granting administrative time in response to this outage. More details will be provided early next week from your BU leadership.
Please stay tuned to the USPTO System 411 blog, where we will provide subsequent updates as more relevant information becomes available. We will publish an update at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 20.
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Debbie Stephens
Deputy Chief Information Officer
United States Patent and Trademark Office
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