As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) event continues to spread throughout the world, it’s not just the medical staffs who are working together to stop the disease. Chief information officers and other IT professionals can also play a vital part in supporting your organization and the community. Below are 10 examples demonstrating how IT can continue to make a difference in the current crisis:
1. Flexible and telework environment – Create a secured and work/life balanced approach, allowing your organization to telework. And don’t stop here; move your organization to the next level.
2. National incident management system – Make plans based on the ICS-Incident Command System model and document your process for Continuity of Operations (COOP).
3. Team and workforce – Instill collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint to allow your team to continue to achieve its organizational goals.
4. Executive dashboard – Communicate organizational performance consistently to all stakeholders by combining national data with operational data.
5. Diversification and inclusiveness – Listen to your customers’ business needs (manage revenue and lower expenses), and stay in touch with your supply chain!
6. Project and program management – Keep core businesses running, and delay and reprioritize projects accordingly.
7. Big Data and Artificial Intelligence – Create innovative solutions to keep your organization running digitally and continuously (investigate intelligence tools readily available today).
8. Systems performance – Monitor your network and security threats, and be prepared for the worst.
9. Legislation – Watch and influence legislative changes and (opportunities for) federal assistance.
10. Be nimble and plan ahead – Anticipate turbulence ahead of this ever-changing environment, and be ready for the economic downturn and recovery phase (this may be your new normal).
Don’t let the world’s pandemic run past us — instead, let us move through the world together! If you are a CIO, be prepared to make a significant impact to your organization. At the end of the day, we’re all essential to each other, so support and care for one another.
