F5 Networks makes big push into network security

Stuart Corner
Friday, 12 August 2011 14:57

IT Industry - Strategy

F5 Networks, the self-proclaimed "global leader in application delivery networking" is making a big push to promote itself as a specialist provider of network security technology saying that, almost by accident, it has developed a deal of expertise and success in this market.

Kirby Wadsworth VP global marketing - in Australia primarily to promote the latest iteration of the company's Big-IP operating system - told a press conference: "Last Friday night in [F5 HQ in] Seattle, the executive committee made a massive commitment to investment in marketing and positioning to educate the marketplace worldwide about what we bring to the security table.

"A lot of people say we are the best kept secret in the security market. You will see that change with a large seven figure investment around security branding."

He said the company had been particularly successful in helping major enterprises defeat a range of recent high profile DDoS attacks. "We have been able to do it, almost surprising ourselves in some cases. Most people did not know that. The technical analysts did and we were getting yelled at for not telling people. Now that is going to change."

Kurt Hansen, the managing director of F5 Networks in Australia, added: "We are probably one of the fastest growing regions in the world for F5 and over the last 18 months that has been heavily driven by security. We have been doing security very quietly in most of the verticals in which we operate."

The company operates exclusively through channels in Australia and, according to Hansen, "eighty percent of our business comes from banks, government and large telcos." Channel partners include "major systems integrators like Dimension Data and IBM, and some very technical and very focussed niche operators," Hansen said.

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