F5’s BIG-IP Edge Gateway Solution Takes New Approach to Unifying, Optimizing Data Center Access
New BIG-IP solution provides enterprises with key edge-of-network services, integrating remote access, access optimization, site-to-site security, and application acceleration to support remote and mobile workforces
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F5 Networks, Inc. has released BIG-IP Edge Gateway, providing enterprise organizations with a high-performance, next-generation remote access solution that delivers LAN-speed application performance for remote and mobile workers. It solves the challenges that enterprise IT personnel face from the massive growth of mobile and remote users. With BIG-IP Edge Gateway, F5 provides the first Application Delivery Controller (ADC) on the market that unifies secure SSL VPN access, dynamic access and optimization control, and application acceleration for remote users, regardless of the device or access network, on a single, scalable platform.
With this release, F5 continues to deliver on its vision of unifying its ADC solution set and redefining how customers implement, share, and cost-effectively extend their Application Delivery Network all the way to the client. With approximately five times the scaling capability and up to an eight times improvement in application performance, the BIG-IP Edge Gateway offers enterprises significant ROI at less than half the cost of alternative, disparate technologies.
The new BIG-IP Edge Gateway enables customers to:
- Dramatically Reduce CapEx with Unified Services and Simplified Management: The BIG-IP Edge Gateway solution simplifies device management by ensuring access across heterogeneous applications services, access networks, and data resources. With the free BIG-IP Edge Client™ solution—included with BIG-IP Edge Gateway -- customers can combine acceleration, endpoint security, and automatic network roaming persistence for an improved end-user experience and increased workforce efficiency. In addition, Web application acceleration yields significant performance gains for remote and mobile users.
- Provide Secure, Accelerated Remote Access that Easily Scales to Support User Demand: BIG-IP Edge Gateway enables organizations to cost-effectively scale their access networks to unprecedented levels. The solution accelerates and optimizes applications, yielding LAN-speed performance gains (up to eight times faster), and ensures that users are always seamlessly connected via F5’s new BIG-IP Edge Client with smart connection technology. Smart connection technology’s unique persistence and access intelligence makes sure that as a user roams networks -- wireless (802.11), cell (3G and LTE), or wired -- they stay connected, and the integrity of their application session is protected. The client also includes best-in-class endpoint security and unique application and network acceleration.
- Implement Context-Aware Networking through Access Policy Enforcement: BIG-IP Edge Gateway offers granular access policy enforcement. With features such as Visual Policy Editor (VPE), plus integrated authentication and endpoint inspection, access management becomes simpler, centralized, and more cost-effective. Now, IT staff can provide application access based on context by taking into account the user’s policy, identifying user location for redirection to local resources, and supporting single sign-on for most directory services across all application types, devices, and operating systems. This capability significantly reduces both cost and complexity.
- Prioritize Applications for Optimal Performance and User Productivity: With BIG-IP Edge Gateway, IT staff can design application prioritization into access policies to ensure that bandwidth is reserved for high priority applications. For example, VoIP traffic can be managed and prioritized so it is always clear, instead of choppy due to packet loss and latency. Furthermore, with F5’s unique client-side QoS functions, customers have the superior service levels they need to increase user productivity.
Availability
The BIG-IP Edge Gateway is available now. For more information about BIG-IP solutions, visit www.f5.com/products/big-ip/.