News & Updates

An Update on AppDirect’s Response to Coronavirus COVID-19

By Nicolas Desmarais / Mar 23, 2020

As the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, continues to spread and impact people around the world, the gravity of the situation we face as a global community is top of mind for everyone at AppDirect. That's why I wanted to update our customers, partners, and other stakeholders on the actions we are taking to help ensure the health and safety of our team members and our communities. 

Day to day, we continue to monitor the latest news and information from public health authorities and implement new policies as recommended. All of our global employees are now working from home, regardless of local directives. Moreover, we are encouraging our team to remain at home as much as possible to promote social distancing, to help protect our most vulnerable populations, and to preserve valuable healthcare resources. 

As we face new challenges and an uncertain future, I keep on returning to AppDirect's core values, namely True North. I strongly believe in the power of empirical data to inform beliefs and drive action. For this reason, this week at our company's all hands meeting I shared the somber statistics and trends related to COVID-19. The rate of infection is growing exponentially, and mortality is grave. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center is an excellent source of up-to-date information that I refer to frequently.

My most critical message, however, was not a number. It was this: Everyone—every single person—can have a real impact on slowing the spread of the virus, to "flatten the curve" of infections to give healthcare professionals and researchers precious time to fight back. Every infection that is prevented or delayed is a life that is potentially saved. We have a responsibility to take COVID-19 seriously, and our actions as a company reflect this fact.

In the coming days and weeks, as we continue to transition to new ways of doing business, I also want to reassure our customers, partners, and other stakeholders that AppDirect's virtual infrastructure is keeping us connected and able to deliver. If you are an AppDirect customer, our information security team is reaching out to ensure you have secure access to your environments from home. If you have any questions or concerns—about this or any other aspect of using AppDirect—please don't hesitate to reach out to your Customer Success Manager, Account Executive, or our support team for more information.

The impact of COVID-19—and the necessary steps the global community is taking to combat it—will continue to grow and reverberate around the world for the foreseeable future. As such, we encourage anyone who is so inclined to donate to an organization that is working to mitigate the impact of the virus. We have included a short list of organizations below. We have also included a list of sources to check for the latest COVID-19 news and updated guidelines.

We are, as ever, grateful for our community of employees, customers, and partners—and your ongoing trust in AppDirect as we adapt to a rapidly evolving situation. Take care of yourselves, and each other, and I am confident that we will persevere.

COVID-19 Relief Funds and Organizations

• The WHO Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund
• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) 
• Feeding America
  
  

COVID-19 Information

• The World Health Organization 
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
• Canadian Public Health Services
• European Commission Coronavirus Response
  

Nicolas Desmarais is a co-founder and co-CEO of AppDirect.