Applications should adapt to environments like organisms

Mohammed AbuKhater, Vice President Sales META, F5.

Organisations across every industry need to be capable of operating as a digital business. This has become even more apparent in the wake of COVID-19, which has accelerated digital transformation and made digital the primary way that people interact with organisations.

Applications are at the core of digital experiences. Whether the customer is interacting with a company online, through their website or their mobile app, the applications that they use are effectively the face of that organisation. 

F5 believes that applications should be like living organisms in their ability to adapt to their environment and how they are being used. This applies equally to digital-native organisations and established companies with a complex mix of traditional and modern architectures.

Technology is central to all strategic decisions that organisations make – from launching new products and services, to expanding into new territories and integrating acquisitions. But most importantly, technology is an essential enabler which allows organisations to engage with customers anywhere and anytime, which is exactly why organisations must design, run and manage applications that are intuitive, reliable and secure. 

Indeed, customer expectation of seamless applications is now so high that any outage or glitch can cause irreparable damage. Indeed, nearly 80% of customers have sought discounts or refunds due to a poor digital experience, and 32% report that they would abandon a brand they have previously been loyal to because of one bad experience, according to AppDynamics’ App Attention Index.

Any transformation project requires the full support of the leadership team. Digital transformation projects require significant strategic decisions and investments in cloud services, software and application development. 

It is up to the organisation’s business heads to set the right high-level strategy and establish a spirit of collaboration, working closely with the technology heads and all departments to ensure that they fully understand the requirements. Once all stakeholders have been consulted and agreed on the requirements of the digital transformation project, the business heads and technology team can start developing the plan. 

Technology heads have a vital role to play in ensuring that their leadership team is aware of the essential role of digital transformation for their organisation’s development and growth, and the level of investment and effort it will require. 

Once the project’s goals have been set, it is up to the tech heads to oversee the transformation, from deciding which solutions to deploy and which partners to work with, and to ensure the project stays on track with minimal disruption. 

The technology heads will also have an important role play in ensuring the whole organisation is enthusiastic about the project and well trained on any new software and systems. In some organisations, it is important for the technology heads to press the case for digital transformation. This is a far cry from the days when technology teams played a support role, indicating the growing significance of technology to success. 


Mohammed AbuKhater, Vice President Sales META, F5.
Mohammed AbuKhater, Vice President Sales META, F5.

Key takeaways

  • Technology is an enabler, which allows organisations to engage with customers anywhere and anytime.
  • Organisations must design, run and manage applications that are intuitive, reliable and secure.
  • Technology is central to all strategic decisions that organisations make. 
  • Technology is an essential enabler which allows organisations to engage with customers anywhere and anytime.
  • Organisations must design, run and manage applications that are intuitive, reliable, secure.
  • Customer expectation are now so high that any outage or glitch can cause irreparable damage.