F5 Enhances Management and Support for Microsoft Windows-based Virtualization

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), today announced a new F5 Management Pack® solution for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager that allows joint F5 and Microsoft customers to dynamically manage application delivery in virtual environments. F5 also updated its Application Ready Solution portfolio to support Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V, and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2.

The F5® solutions announced today offer optimization and increased availability for virtual environments, enabling IT staff to make better decisions regarding applications running in the virtual environment, and automating virtual machine management.

“The benefits offered by Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs) apply to all applications, whether they’re deployed on physical or virtual servers,” said Calvin Rowland, VP of Application Partner Programs at F5. “One of the primary challenges faced by companies who deploy applications on virtual servers is the management of those virtual machines. F5’s solution for System Center Virtual Machine Manager is designed with virtual environments in mind, enabling customers to realize significant business value through faster rollout times, cost savings, and flexibility.”

Dynamic Administration of Virtualized Server Infrastructure

F5 has added Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO) capabilities to the F5 Management Pack, introduced in April 2009. The PRO-enabled Management Pack, in combination with Microsoft System Center Operations Manager and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2, provides customers with enhanced visibility into both the application delivery network and the server environment, enabling IT teams to proactively monitor and dynamically manage application delivery as network or user conditions change. In addition, the F5 Management Pack now proactively offers tips to improve application delivery.

“Microsoft is pleased to see F5 embrace our vision for the dynamic data center, and deliver its PRO-enabled Management Pack to offer seamless integration with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2,” said Dai Vu, Director, Virtualization Solutions Marketing, Server and Tools Business at Microsoft Corp. “Our joint customers will benefit from F5’s new management capabilities that allow them to better understand and meet the needs of end-users that rely on specific applications.”

Building on F5’s Robust Portfolio of Application Ready Solutions for Microsoft

This announcement comes as part of a series of updates for the existing suite of F5 Application Ready Solutions for Microsoft Windows Server, including solutions for IIS, Remote Desktop Services (RDS), Hyper-V, and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2. Leveraging the Live Migration feature of Hyper-V, F5 solutions also include configuration guidance to perform the network-level changes required to move virtual machines between hosts without taking them offline.

Availability

More information about F5 and Microsoft virtualization solutions working in concert can be found at www.f5.com/solutions/applications/microsoft/virtualization.

The F5 PRO-enabled Management Pack is a free download from F5’s DevCentral^sm community. PRO-enabled Management Pack downloads, documentation, FAQs, TechTips, and more can be found at http://devcentral.f5.com/mpack.

Additional Materials

• Introduction to the F5 PRO-enabled Management Pack – DevCentral blog post
• F5 PRO-enabled Management Pack overview – Datasheet
• Virtual Machine Manager and SharePoint demo – Video

About F5 Networks

F5 Networks is the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), focused on ensuring the secure, reliable, and fast delivery of applications. F5's flexible architectural framework enables community-driven innovation that helps organizations enhance IT agility and dynamically deliver services that generate true business value. F5's vision of unified application and data delivery offers customers an unprecedented level of choice in how they deploy ADN solutions. It redefines the management of application, server, storage, and network resources, streamlining application delivery and reducing costs. Global enterprise organizations, service and cloud providers, and Web 2.0 content providers trust F5 to keep their business moving forward. For more information, go to www.f5.com.

F5, DevCentral, and F5 Management Pack are trademarks or service marks of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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