During the COVID-19 pandemic, the scope of human interaction shrank to the size of a computer screen. While it initially provided growth opportunities for major online dating services such as Match Group LLC, it also created challenges, including how to keep users interested in the apps if they couldn’t meet in person after connecting virtually?

Match, which is also the owner of products such as Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, relied on long-time partner AppDynamics, a part of Cisco Systems Inc., to adapt its platforms to make online dating more engaging with features like video calls, according to Garrick Linn (pictured, right), architect and in charge of operations at Match.

“The pandemic brought a lot of uncertainty,” he said. “We weren’t really sure how people were going to react. And it turned out that people were still very much interested in getting to a place where they can find human connections.”

Linn and Linda Tong (pictured, left), general manager at AppDynamics, spoke with John Furrier, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during AWS re:Invent. They discussed the challenges posed by the pandemic, how Match has transformed its resources to meet new and growing demands, and AppDynamics’ role in that process. (* Disclosure below.)

Innovating at high speed

The first step in preparing for the world of social distancing was trying to understand what singles wanted from online dating during the pandemic, according to Linn. This meant revisiting the services offered and exploring possibilities for innovation.

“We had our hands full, especially at the beginning, with things like checking the video features: How does that work? What are the expectations? Is that going to creep people out? If we try to offer that, are they going to use it? How are they going to date? How are they going to talk? How can we make sure that they’re safe?” Linn explained.

Match used AppDynamics to get a gauge not just of the type of traffic and load, but also to understand how these new features would fit into its complex IT environment and to figure out how to quickly deliver that. In addition, Match, like other companies, relies on AppDynamics for its cloud migration strategy and its container initiatives, which are likely to accelerate over the next few years.

“That complexity that the IT organizations are seeing now as they fully adopt the cloud for all their new applications and start to migrate some of their existing applications over, that world is only increasing in complexity,” Tong said. “And wrapping your arms around that requires a partner to help you separate signal from noise.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of AWS re:Invent. (* Disclosure: AppDynamics, a Cisco Systems Inc. company sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither AppDynamics nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE