The economic and health crisis caused by COVID 19 has disrupted the business systems of administrations and companies in the private and public sectors alike, forcing them to make a rapid shift to remote work. According to consultancy McKinsey, Europe is at 12% of its digital potential, while the US is at 18%. In the emerging markets, uptake will depend on the trajectory transformation takes: should countries play catch up with the developed world; create their own route to develop new and transformative technologies to increase competitiveness; or leverage the pandemic-induced acceleration of digitalization to leapfrog obsolete technologies and head straight to modern solutions, taking the so-called shortcuts to progress?