F5 Networks announced a major software release of its BIG-IP platform aimed improving the agility, security, and performance of cloud application deployments. The company said its aim with this product update is to help customers to more easily transition workloads to cloud environments as needed and incorporate technologies like HTTP/2, while maintaining the same visibility, security, and control of traditional infrastructures. This includes a BIG-IP virtual edition available in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.
BIG-IP version 12.0 takes advantage of F5’s application delivery services fabric, extending the F5 Synthesis model by combining physical and virtual resources to better support cloud and hybrid scenarios. F5’s BIG-IP 12.0 release includes many integrated enhancements to F5’s security and access solutions, with notable examples below:
- Reliable Access in All Types of IT Environments with SSO – F5 extends secure authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) capabilities to cloud-based, web-based, and virtual applications while centrally managing federated identity functions. F5 provides over 5x the scalability of other vendors for applications and identity access management. In addition, F5 is one of the only leading access vendors to extend single sign-on (via SAML) to client-based applications and other browser-less environments, such as Microsoft Office 365.
- Superior Protection with the Largest DDoS Vector Spectrum and Increased Attack Visibility – With BIG-IP 12.0, F5 offers the most comprehensive and effective mitigations to protect against sophisticated, high-volume DDoS threats on-premises or in the cloud. F5 also helps companies strengthen their security postures and agility with simplified threat visibility, providing thorough drill-down summaries of attack details.
- Improved SSL Capabilities for Comprehensive Security – Organizations’ use of SSL is rapidly increasing, with many IT teams moving toward an “encrypt everything” approach. BIG-IP provides innovative, integrated SSL encryption and visibility to manage security certificates and keys across physical, virtual, and cloud deployments—all without the blind spots or performance loss typical of other vendors’ offerings.
“Organizations are seeking the same confidence level with applications and services in cloud/hybrid deployments that they’ve seen in the data center,” said Karl Triebes, EVP of Product Development and CTO, F5. “Our BIG-IP software is instrumental in helping customers take advantage of the benefits of the cloud without sacrificing security, flexibility, or savings. With these new technologies, we’re committed to meeting organizations along whatever path they take in evolving hybrid application delivery environments and incorporating cloud.”
