BOWEN Selects F5 to Consolidate, Secure, and Scale Employee Services

Canadian workforce management leader unites firewall, traffic management, and advanced security features with one BIG-IP® solution

CALGARY, Alberta – F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) today announced that BOWEN has chosen an F5® BIG-IP® solution to expand its security and traffic management capabilities. The new deployment, managed by F5 partner Agilisys, enables BOWEN to streamline its IT operations while providing the highest levels of application security and performance to more than 3,000 contingent workers and companies across Western Canada.

BOWEN provides a range of workforce management solutions, among them web-based applications (such as timecard management) that workers can access remotely from smartphones and tablets.

To provide mobile access to its web-based applications along with the level of security needed to host them in house, BOWEN replaced its aging firewall solution with F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager™ (AFM™) and F5 BIG-IP Application Security Manager™ (ASM™). These solutions, together with BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager™ (LTM™), are part of a unified platform, so BOWEN can easily manage the entire solution through a single management interface. As a result, BOWEN has also been able to create efficiencies by consolidating multiple vendors and thereby cutting IT costs. 

“We have thousands of people counting on these systems,” said Bryan Gamble, Information Services Manager at BOWEN’s Calgary headquarters. “The F5 BIG-IP platform is definitely the best when it comes to intelligent traffic management, but to have network and application security capabilities built right into the same platform was a great fit for us. We wouldn’t be comfortable hosting our applications in house without the F5 solution.”

Handling sensitive employee data requires the highest levels of security, and BIG-IP ASM gives BOWEN another line of defense for its web-based applications and data beyond that provided by the network firewall. BIG-IP ASM protects BOWEN from malicious web-based attacks and ensures that client information and back-end databases are kept secure.

Availability is another crucial priority for BOWEN and its clients. BIG-IP LTM provides essential services such as intelligent traffic management, acceleration, optimization, compression, and SSL offloading to ensure that BOWEN can consistently deliver applications, wherever and whenever they’re needed, including on mobile devices.   

“BOWEN wanted a solution that delivered strong and robust security and management features and that could also scale dramatically to keep pace with its business,” said Preston Hogue, Director of Security Marketing Architecture at F5 Networks. “The BIG-IP solution delivers the power and flexibility BOWEN needs and positions the company to handle future growth.”

Calgary-based Agilisys designed, deployed, and configured the new F5 solution and will continue to provide ongoing management and services through its F5 managed services offering. 

About BOWEN

Founded in 1974, BOWEN is a trusted leader in contingent workforce strategies offering a wide spectrum of recruitment services including placement, contract management, payroll, compliance management, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). Consistently ranked among Canada’s fastest growing companies on the annual Profit500, BOWEN manages approximately 3,000 contingent workers annually. BOWEN’s focus is on bringing out the best in people by tailoring solutions to help organizations and individuals achieve their goals, providing exceptional experiences and giving back to our community. BOWEN is the only staffing agency in Alberta selected to be part of the Partnerships program with Alberta Human Services, recognizing its commitment to health and safety. BOWEN is a privately held company and is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.

About F5

F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) makes apps go faster, smarter, and safer for the world’s largest businesses, service providers, governments, and consumer brands. F5 delivers cloud and security solutions that enable organizations to embrace the application infrastructure they choose without sacrificing speed and control. For more information, go to f5.com. You can also follow @f5networks on Twitter or visit us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technologies.

F5 is a trademark or service mark of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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