F5 upgrades application delivery networking

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 16 June 2009 18:26

IT Industry - Strategy

Application Delivery Networking specialist, F5 Networks has released a new version (version 10) of its Big-IP software, hailing it as a 'milestone release' along with a new hardware platform, the Big-IP 8900.

According to F5, Big-IP v10 unifies application security, optimisation, and acceleration onto a single device, enabling users to reduce capex and opex costs, and improving workforce efficiency.

With version 10m Big-IP LTM, Big-IP WebAccelerator, and Big-IP Application Security Manager modules now all run natively on F5's TMOS plug-in architecture, enabling customers to implement, on a single Big-IP device functions that previously required multiple hardware devices. According to F5 "Through this consolidation, customers can significantly cut hardware, power space, and cooling costs. In addition, IT staff can now efficiently support multiple customers, applications, and business units-on the same device-through the Big-IP device's network virtualisation capability."

F5 claims to be the global market leader in application delivery controllers and, according to Gartner, had 37.2 percent of the global market in CY2008, ahead of Cisco with 31.1 percent. In the more narrowly defined advanced ADC platform market Gartner gave F5 a much more commanding lead with 58.5 percent of the market ahead of number 2 Citrix at 13.4 percent. Cisco was in fourth position at 5.0 percent.

F5 and Citrix were the only two vendors to make it into the leaders quadrant of Gartner's ADC Magic Quadrant published in July that year, with F5 well ahead of Citrix on both completeness of vision and ability to execute.

According to Gartner, F5's Big-IP product set "Offers the most feature-rich AP ADC, combined with excellent performance and programmability." However Gartner cautioned that "the Big-IP product family is so feature-rich that it can be intimidating to some customers, and F5's highly extensible platform requires a highly skilled staff to get the most out of the product.

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