The AI Era is Upon Us. Are You Ready?
Demands on business infrastructures are heating up at an exponential rate.
The Future is Here: ADC 3.0
A New Age of AI-Powered Apps
Hybrid and multicloud application infrastructures are now the default for delivering extraordinary digital experiences. But they are also an organizational obstacle, ushering in an era of technological complexity and security challenges like never before. Now, with the rise of AI, Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs) have never been more important.
Playing with Fire
We call this set of escalating challenges the “Ball of Fire.” It means your teams are dealing with high operational complexity, unmanageable cyber risk exposure, and increased cost resulting in revenue instability. Your ADC is key to overcoming these crucial problem areas.
Next-Gen Application Delivery Controllers
For more than two decades, growing complexity has evolved the demands placed on ADCs. From hybrid and multicloud environments to AI-driven applications, a new approach is vital.
ADC 1.0
In ADC 1.0, applications were monolithic and three-tiered, and hosted in data centers that relied on physical infrastructures. Primarily hardware or virtual appliances, first-generation ADCs supported critical functions like load balancing, content caching, and tackled threats with web application firewall (WAF) and denial of service (DoS) protection.
ADC 2.0
Cloud computing started the migration of applications and services to the cloud, where cloud-native offerings with automated updates and expanded capabilities thrived. In ADC 2.0, applications were broken down into containerized, independently deployed microservices. This was an era of cloud disruption, where many apps were moved from on-premises infrastructures to the cloud, and security shifted to more comprehensive cloud-based web app and API protection (WAAP).
ADC 3.0
ADC 3.0 acknowledges that today’s complex digital landscape is here to stay. There is a rise in distributed AI applications that leverage interconnected networks to perform complex tasks. Apps of all kinds are spread across hybrid, multicloud infrastructures and security must protect even the most advanced AI-apps, while also leveraging AI capabilities to mitigate risk.
Going forward, ADCs will evolve to be more than load balancing or incremental improvement over their predecessors. ADC 3.0 reimagines what an ADC can and should be.
Introducing the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform
Continuing F5's 25 year history of advancing the ADC, the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform converges app and API security and high-performance delivery within a single platform.
Join Us for the AppWorld 2025 Roadshows
Learn how ADC 3.0 addresses the critical pain points of modern IT environments—complexity, inconsistency, inflexibility, and lack of visibility. At AppWorld, you'll connect with experts, build essential skills, and contribute your ideas to the next generation of application security and delivery.
No single vendor has fully implemented the ADC 3.0 vision. F5 is going to change that.
Recommended Resource
Watch F5’s chief innovation officer share his vision of how next-gen ADCs will transform the AI-accelerated security and delivery of apps.