F5 Launches New Cloud-Based Web Application Firewall Service in EMEA

EDINBUGH, May 20th, 2015 – F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) today launched a new cloud-delivered managed service in EMEA to defend against web application attacks and ensure compliance across dynamic cloud and data centre environments.

Announced at F5 EMEA’s Agility 2015 conference in Edinburgh,, the Silverline™ Web Application Firewall service offering provides quick web application firewall (WAF) implementation and unified, scalable policy enforcement capabilities. The service also includes 24x7 support from highly specialised F5 security experts with the company’s Security Operations Center (SOC) resources.

As the latest addition to F5’s Silverline cloud-based application services platform, the new WAF offering is built on the award-winning capabilities of the company’s BIG-IP® Application Security Manager™ product. F5 seamlessly provides leading WAF services in both on-premises and subscription-based cloud offerings. The company’s versatile, easy to deploy WAF solutions let organisations confidently incorporate cloud resources while protecting apps and data from increasingly sophisticated security attacks, risks, and vulnerabilities.

DETAILS

Historically, enforcing web application security and compliance policies across a variety of traditional and cloud environments has meant greater complexity, security gaps, and higher costs. As a result, a number of organizations choose to offload WAF administration and policy management, mitigating attacks that might otherwise lead to application downtime, revenue losses, and a damaged brand. Along with on-premises application protection, F5 now enables WAF functionality through an “as a Service” model to make it easy for organisations to quickly bolster their defenses. Advantages of the new Silverline WAF service include:

• Increased Speed and Effectiveness for Reliable WAF Deployments

The new WAF offering protects applications by capitalizing on F5’s leading security capabilities, demonstrated in independent performance testing from NSS Labs. F5 is able to leverage its proven security efficacy to protect against advanced layer 7 attacks (such as those based on geolocation, DDoS, SQL injection, zero-day threats, AJAX applications, JSON payloads, OWASP Top Ten, and others) in a convenient, cloud-based service. In addition, F5’s WAF solutions offer automated, self-learning capabilities in a highly customizable framework that takes advantage of programmable iRules® and iApps® technologies to rapidly respond and adapt to evolving threats.

• Streamlined Operations for Reduced Costs

Silverline WAF decreases operational expenses by outsourcing WAF policy management and compliance functions to F5’s highly specialised SOC resources. F5’s SOC experts are available 24x7 to build, configure, and fine-tune security policies. This approach helps eliminate false positives while protecting applications and data from known and emerging threats. In addition, F5’s proactive monitoring incorporates external intelligence to secure apps against IP threats. The service also provides access reports through a customer portal, giving organizations additional data to reference in making IT security decisions. F5’s service frees in-house personnel and budget for other projects by removing operational burdens without sacrificing overall application security.

• Consolidated Security Functions for Added Peace of Mind

With its integrated Silverline offerings, F5 provides a growing number of hybrid, on-premises, and cloud-delivered application security solutions, including focused solutions around WAF, DDoS Protection, IP Intelligence, and Secure Web Gateway Services. Looking forward, F5 will offer additional services from its BIG-IP product portfolio through the Silverline platform, giving customers freedom and flexibility in how they combine owned, hosted, and managed IT resources. In the context of broader infrastructures, customers will also be able to centralise policy control and orchestration capabilities through APIs and future integrations with F5 management solutions.

SUPPORTING QUOTES

“Cloud architectures, mobile devices, and SaaS applications have untethered the traditional IT network, increasing the complexity of application security. F5’s Silverline platform gives their customers new ways to deploy cloud-delivered and hybrid services to realize performance gains and efficiencies. With respect to WAF and related security functions, in-house experts can be challenging to hire and expensive to keep. Accordingly, I think we’ll see more organisations pursue managed cloud services like those being offered by F5.”

Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst, ZK Research

“With security needs outpacing the number of qualified WAF experts in the industry, many organisations find themselves under-protected. Silverline solutions expand F5’s fabric-based Synthesis framework to include cloud-delivered services—giving customers the benefit of F5 experts proactively looking after WAF functionality. This approach effectively makes F5 the application security IT engineer for the customer, providing internal personnel the opportunity to focus on other priorities.”

Mark Vondemkamp, VP of Security and Silverline Technologies, F5 Networks

AVAILABILITY

The F5 Silverline WAF offering is available now. Please contact a local F5 sales office for additional product and service availability information pertaining to specific countries.

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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