F5 Accelerates VMware View Deployments with BIG-IP Access Policy Manager on a Virtual Platform

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), today announced a cost-effective, scalable solution that streamlines and accelerates VMware View^™ virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) deployments. F5 is delivering enhanced support for VMware View by making the F5^® BIG-IP^® Access Policy Manager^™ (APM^™) module licensable on the BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager^™ (LTM^®) Virtual Edition (VE) product. APM for LTM VE, a high-performance access and security solution, offers organizations an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) module for virtual Application Delivery Controllers. APM for LTM VE can be deployed on existing hardware alongside virtual servers that host VMware View desktops, helping organizations control their infrastructure costs.

“More and more, enterprises are beginning to consider moving to a virtual desktop model, and customers need to consider how best to address security, cost, and user experience,” said Erik Giesa, VP of Product Management and Product Marketing at F5. “By licensing BIG-IP Access Policy Manager with the BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager Virtual Edition, we’re offering organizations a highly robust and cost-effective virtual desktop security, acceleration, and high-availability solution that they can deploy on existing servers. Organizations that otherwise might have delayed their deployment plans until their next hardware refresh are able to begin deploying VMware View^™ immediately and continue growing those deployments at a pace they’re comfortable with.”

Details

APM for LTM VE eliminates the need for organizations to invest up front in powerful server and networking hardware to support a corporate-wide migration of users to virtual desktops. In the past, some organizations have chosen to use small, less-costly hardware solutions to gradually deploy virtual desktops to select groups of users. With APM for LTM VE, organizations now have an affordable, fully functional software-based alternative that enables them to leverage existing hardware and centrally manage access to all virtual desktops. This approach also allows for eventual migration to a hardware-based solution as the virtual desktop environment grows.

BIG-IP Access Policy Manager for Local Traffic Manager Virtual Edition enables organizations to:

• Deploy VMware View quickly – As a software-based solution that can be deployed on existing virtualized servers, APM for LTM VE simplifies the process of testing and deploying VMware View. Step-by-step configuration instructions are included in F5’s VMware View and BIG-IP APM for LTM VE deployment guide.
• Control infrastructure costs – Because APM for LTM VE is a virtual solution, organizations can conduct proof-of-concept trial testing or support full VMware View deployments without the need to add hardware.
• Scale to meet growing demand – APM for LTM VE facilitates a phased rollout, can accommodate growing VMware View deployments, and can be smoothly transitioned to a hardware-based solution supporting up to 60,000 concurrent users if desired.
• Simplify management – APM for LTM VE provides a single point of control from which organizations can manage access to all virtualized desktops for local, remote, and mobile users, and it ensures that only authenticated user sessions reach the application. iControl^®, F5’s powerful API, can be used to integrate APM with VMware vCenter^™ Server to provide additional management capabilities.
• Enhance user experience and improve productivity – APM for LTM VE optimally supports the PCoIP^® protocol for VMware View. Datagram Transport Layer Security eliminates the unnecessary overhead of running a UDP-based protocol like PCoIP over a TCP-based connection. In addition, APM for LTM VE caches user credentials and provides proxy services for single sign-on (SSO), so VMware View users only need to sign in once to access approved sites and applications.

Supporting Quotes

“Many enterprises implementing desktop virtualization choose to pursue a phased rollout,” said Parag Patel, Vice President, Global Strategic Alliances, VMware. “Making F5’s APM module available on its LTM VE solution will help facilitate that phased approach and provide customers an efficient, evolutionary way to modernize their desktops with VMware View^™. As the migration to virtual desktops scales throughout the enterprise, secure access functionality can eventually be transitioned to a function-specific appliance, if desired.”

“Even though application delivery optimization is broadly adopted in support of virtual server infrastructures, it is an equally critical component of the delivery of virtual desktops and must not be overlooked,” said John E. Burke, Principal Research Analyst at Nemertes Research. “Virtual desktop deployments are steadily increasing and projected to be piloted or deployed by 69 percent of companies in 2011. To ensure an optimal, secure, and highly available experience for users, companies must consider adding application delivery optimization right from the start of their virtual desktop projects.”

Availability

F5’s BIG-IP Access Policy Manager for Local Traffic Manager Virtual Edition is available today. Please visit http://www.f5.com/products/big-ip/ for more information.

Supporting Resources

• VMware View 4.5 and BIG-IP APM for LTM VE – Deployment Guide
• Simplify VMware View Deployments with BIG-IP APM for LTM VE – Solution Profile
• Optimize Virtual Desktop Deployments for VMware View – Solution Overview
• BIG-IP APM product overview

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.

You can also follow @f5networks on Twitter or visit us on Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technology. For a complete listing of F5 community sites, please visit www.f5.com/news-press-events/web-media/community.html.

F5, BIG-IP, Local Traffic Manager, LTM, Access Policy Manager, APM, and iControl are trademarks or service marks of F5 Networks, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. VMware, VMware View, and VMware vCenter are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future events or future financial performance that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of such terms or comparable terms. These statements are only predictions and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements based upon a number of factors, including those identified in the company's filings with the SEC.