F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIV), the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), today announced a new release of BIG-IP® software that underscores the company’s leadership and commitment to security—one of the three critical pillars of ADN, along with optimization and availability. Today’s enhancements help enterprises cut through the complexity of security by making it easy to implement advanced application and protocol security. BIG-IP software now features comprehensive protocol security, WhiteHat Security integration through the F5® iControl® API, and Kerberos delegation support. This BIG-IP software announcement complements the new BIG-IP Application Delivery Controller (ADC) platforms announced today.

“The delivery of simplified, cost effective security solutions that address the complex difficulties of application security are critical given the threats to today’s applications,” said Michael Monticello, Security and Risk Management Analyst at Enterprise Management Associates. “F5 is addressing these needs through an industry-changing integration with WhiteHat Security, as well as with its intuitive products and features.”

Highlights of this BIG-IP software release include:

Advanced security with minimal management, configuration overhead, or expertise. BIG-IP Protocol Security Module delivers advanced protocol security and compliance for the most common Internet protocols, including HTTP(s), SMTP, and FTP. Running as a module on F5’s core BIG-IP systems, the Protocol Security Module focuses on protocol checks, and provides an easy-to-deploy solution with simplified management for network administrators, adding incremental security with minimal deployment time and impact to applications. Protocol Security Module is transparently upgradable to F5’s full-featured web application firewall, BIG-IP Application Security Manager™ (ASM).

Total website security and PCI compliance. F5 and WhiteHat Security’s integrated web application vulnerability assessment and mitigation solution is now available. The joint solution leverages F5’s iControl API and combines the powerful capabilities of WhiteHat’s Sentinel and F5’s BIG-IP ASM product to provide dynamic website vulnerability assessment, detection, and remediation. The joint solution also exceeds PCI 6.6 compliance requirements.

Streamlined access for authorized users. BIG-IP systems, now with Kerberos delegation, are the first application delivery controllers to support CAC/PKI authentication, allowing customers to reduce the number of servers required for SSL and user authentication. The CAC/PKI security authentication method is now used by many government organizations and others as their primary authentication method. Additionally, BIG-IP product family now interfaces with Microsoft Windows Active Directory domains and streamlines access for authorized users.

“Today’s enterprises must adapt rapidly to changing business needs, both from internal personnel and from their customers,” said Mark Vondemkamp, Director of Product Management at F5. “F5’s new security and application delivery solutions enable organizations to scale and refine their network infrastructures to provide optimized, secure access to the applications users rely on. With F5’s wide array of solutions, customers benefit by being able to leverage previous investments and update their infrastructure on demand.”

Availability

The BIG-IP v9.4.5 software is available now. For more information on F5’s BIG-IP solutions, please visit www.f5.com/products/big-ip/.

About F5 Networks

F5 Networks is the global leader in Application Delivery Networking. F5 provides solutions that make applications secure, fast, and available for everyone. By adding intelligence and manageability into the network to offload applications and optimize the data storage layer, F5 extends the power of intelligent networking to all levels of application delivery. F5’s extensible architecture intelligently integrates application optimization, protects the application and the network, and delivers application reliability. Over 16,000 organizations and service providers worldwide trust F5 to keep their applications running. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington with offices worldwide. For more information, go to www.f5.com.

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