F5 Networks has introduced BIG-IP Cloud Edition which enables customers to quickly deploy critical application services for every app and any environment.
BIG-IP Cloud Editiob is offered as a per-app virtual Application Delivery Controller (ADC) that can apply and automate policy-based services at each step in the development and production pipeline.
This approach empowers app owners to better collaborate with NetOps, DevOps, and SecOps within an agile framework to significantly improve the performance, availability, and security of all applications.
BIG-IP Cloud Edition combines F5’s broad portfolio of application services with the dramatically enhanced management, visibility, and analytics capabilities of BIG-IQ. F5’s software-based solution lets customers easily add ‘right-sized’ services tailored for individual applications, multiple cloud environments, and user demands.
As a prominent use case, the solution enables customers to deploy Advanced Web Application Firewall policies to address sophisticated application threats in a consistent way across public and private clouds.
“We see application services evolving to a per-app model that enables NetOps, SecOps, and application development teams to deploy consistent and right-sized application services for every app, regardless of where those apps run,” says Kara Sprague, senior vice-president and GM of the ADC business unit at F5. “There persists a misconception that you have to choose between rich services and agile, portable service deployment.
“Our goal with BIG-IP Cloud Edition is to remove this false dichotomy, and better enable NetOps and SecOps teams to deploy a full range of traffic management and security services in a lightweight software footprint, easily add new applications to their services mix, and more swiftly embrace DevOps practices.”
Highlights of the new BIG-IP Cloud Edition include:
* Enterprise-grade services and protection with an all-software ADC solution;
* Dedicated and right-sized application services for every application in any environment;
* Self-service catalog of app services for automated provisioning, configurations, and upgrades; and
* Per-app visibility, analytics, and auto-scale capabilities.
From F5’s recent State of Application Delivery research, the average organization relies on 16 different application services to keep their apps fast, safe, and available. Today’s NetOps teams require scalable services that are easy to procure, can be consumed in a variety of ways, and are highly programmable.
BIG-IP Cloud Edition has been designed with these aims in mind, and will support a number of deployment scenarios, including subscription, licensing, and utility billing models. This approach brings together the feature rich, customizable capabilities of F5’s traditional BIG-IP platform with the accessibility and agility of cloud-focused technologies that NetOps and DevOps teams are using to drive contemporary digital transformation efforts.
With Advanced WAF capabilities, BIG-IP Cloud Edition makes it easy to test and deploy all applications across cloud and data center architectures without sacrificing security. Per-app protection enhances an organisation’s overall security posture by safeguarding the company and customer information handled by all apps, with dedicated templates for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other cloud environments.
BIG-IP Cloud Edition also extends the benefits of these services to multiple IT teams. The ability to seamlessly deploy, upgrade, and automate trusted F5 services on a per-application basis better positions NetOps to support business priorities in concert with SecOps and DevOps.