Was COVID-19 really been as transformative as many people – especially vendors – suggest? Or has it been more like a scramble, still demanding a proper reset of strategy and priorities to extract real value from new and ongoing technology investment? The real answer probably lies somewhere in between. A 2020 report by McKinsey: How COVID-19 has pushed companies over the technology tipping point and transformed business forever, notes that while there have been giant digital strikes taken in the past 18 months – especially in APAC – many senior tech leaders have expressed doubts about the degree to which many of the changes will actually stick. Worryingly, while 53% of tech leaders surveyed by McKinsey said they expected to maintain COVID-19 levels of spending on cyber security while 27% said they wouldn’t. And there were similar proportions citing things like remote working, cloud migration and advanced analytics as areas they didn’t expect to sustain at COVID levels. Dr Ian Oppermann, chief data scientist with the NSW Government and industry professor at the University of Technology Sydney, has led a large and successful program of digital works since before the pandemic. This has held the government in good stead as it sought to maintain and improve services, while enabling a massive exodus to working from home. Oppermann and his team have been especially busy deploying advanced technologies including AI and ML, which has driven greater appreciation of data within the NSW government, but he admits the challenge for it – and right across the public sector – is ensuring people don’t start thinking “we’re done”. Organisations that have accelerated their digital programs throughout the pandemic now need to embed more “sustainable frameworks” to build on what they’ve achieved and continue deriving value.  Alexey Goldov, associate partner with McKinsey’s technology practice in Australia, notes that COVID has seen many organisations place innumerable “band aids” throughout their digital environments. History shows that sometimes these stop-gap measures remain in place for years or decades, however he says CIOs should conduct a thorough assessment of everything that’s been put in place if they’re to have any chance of maintaining it. Convincing the CIO and broader executive to maintain support for digital programs born or advanced during COVID is expected to be a significant challenge for CIOs moving forward, as companies look to cut costs, especially as the battle for talent becomes more fierce and more expensive.