"COVID-19 has disrupted operations and will have prolonged impacts on continuity of operations, modes of working and growth patterns. CIOs need to respond to the crisis with both short- and long-term actions to increase resilience against future disruptions, and prepare for rebound and growth."

Overview:

• Organizations face challenges to continuity of operations as employees are stranded in various locations with uncertain return dates.

• Dramatic changes in customer demand are putting organizations under huge stress: Sharp declines in demand present serious financial challenges to many businesses, while those facing demand surges and resource shortage risk disappointing and disengaging customers.

• Confusing data from unverified sources, or sheer lack of data, leads to ill-informed decisions, escalating employee anxiety and making organizations underprepared for returning to normal operations and future growth.

This report offers recommendations for CIOs, including both short-term and long-term actions.

Gartner, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Short- and Long-Term Actions for CIOs, Sandy Shen, Owen Chen, Lily Mok, Deacon D.K Wan, Julian Sun, Arnold Gao, 4 March 2020

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