Johannesburg, 26 Mar 2018
Customers, employees, partners and suppliers alike expect applications and digital services to be fast, reliable and always-on. Delivering rich, consistent digital experiences to users can be hindered by fragmented management tools and limited insights into the impact of digital services on end-users and the business.
Companies need to ask themselves the following questions: am I using the proper tools to deliver a seamless and solid end-user experience; do I have insight into each and every step, infrastructure and network component to prevent and or fix performance issues; and can I manage and optimise IT systems and processes quickly and easily to improve my customers' digital experience?
Digital performance
Paul Griffiths, Senior Director, Advanced Technology Group, Office of the CTO, Riverbed Technology, says: "We're living in an era of digital transformation. The use of digital technologies to transform business is having a dramatic impact across every sector and industry.
"In the early days, performance was measured in speed, and the focus was on moving data and delivering experiences faster than had been done before. Now, in the midst of digital transformation, companies are looking to the cloud and beyond to secure and fuel digital services and their business."
Today, performance is measured in many ways, including agility, ability to solve new problems, insight into new customers and industries, improving time to market, increasing productivity, and security to run the most important applications.
Driving success
Griffiths says: "Driving towards digital performance leads organisations to realise that every day is an opportunity to go someplace new, to discover a different path, to push boundaries and imagine new possibilities."
One of the key elements that needs to be in place for organisations wanting to drive digital performance, according to Griffiths, is their willingness to embrace change and recognise that the old-fashioned attitude of 'because we have always done it that way' is not going to bring about digital transformation within their business.
Impact of digital
It's important that organisations be aware of the impact of their digital strategy because digital and business performance is about far more than just speed. It's a complex and multidimensional issue, he says. "It benefits from a perspective that is holistic and free of constraints. It's this perspective that enables businesses to not only go to new places, but to go further than they could have ever imagined."
Challenges faced
Naturally, there are the challenges associated with consistently delivering high performance digital services. Griffiths elaborates: "We've watched as our clients' networks have become increasingly complex and dynamic, where expectations are high and tolerance for error is almost zero. The need for far greater control and visibility when moving to the cloud are key reasons why SD-WAN is high on the agenda for organisations.
"The agility and ubiquitous connectivity that comes with SD-WAN and SDN in general enable those challenges to be tackled head on."
Business benefits
Organisations can measure how successfully they've overcome this challenge by looking at how well their businesses operate, adapt and thrive. Their success is a result of their performance - both operational and financial - as well as their overall business performance.
Sponsored content
Riverbed provides an integrated solution for digital experience management that enables you to understand current performance levels, proactively resolve issues, and identify areas for continuous improvement. Riverbed accelerates business performance through a complete portfolio of industry-leading digital performance solutions that transform the way customers run the powerful network- and cloud-based applications that connect people, businesses and experiences in our digital world.
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