CIOs need to focus on three short-term actions to increase their organizations' resilience to disruption and prepare for the uptick and growth of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic that has disrupted business continuity, the way we work and growth patterns, an industry expert said. When traditional channels and operations are affected by the epidemic, Sandy Shen, a senior research director at Gartner, said the value of digital channels, products and operations becomes immediately apparent. "This is a red flag for organizations that focus on day-to-day operational needs at the expense of investment in digital activities and long-term resilience," she said. The three short-term actions are pursuing digital collaboration tools with security controls and network support, engaging customers and partners through digital channels while maintaining sales activities, and establishing a Single Source of Truth for the employees. In organizations where remote work capabilities have not yet been established, Shen said CIOs need to develop short-term workarounds, including identifying use-case requirements, such as instant messaging. for general communications, meeting/file sharing solutions, and enterprise access applications such as enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management, while she reviews all security arrangements to ensure secure access to applications and data. Many technology companies and telecom operators around the world offer their communication tools to companies, educational institutions and NGOs to work and learn remotely, such as various quarantine measures and travel restrictions adopted by organizations, cities. and countries have caused uncertainty and disruption because business operations are suspended or interrupted. operate in a limited capacity. However, Shen said organizations are also facing staff shortages to maintain basic operations. CIOs can work with business leaders to conduct workforce planning to assess risks and fill staffing gaps, for example by identifying critical service areas.