Application Delivery Networking (ADN) specialist F5 Networks announced enhancements to its application and data security solutions, which provide customers with security strategies to prevent loss of service and data. F5’s Big-IP version 11 software–along with Big-IP Application Security Manager, Access Policy Manager Global Traffic Manager (GTM) and Edge Gateway–delivers a unified platform that helps protect Web 2.0 applications and data, secure DNS infrastructures, and establish centralized application access and policy control.
With F5’s web application firewall, the Application Security Manager (ASM), organizations can protect interactive Web 2.0 applications, such as a real-time stock site that continuously updates pricing information. Big-IP ASM secures the application and displays an alert in the event of a policy violation. The alert, in the form of a blocking page, includes a support ID so the user can contact the network administrator to resolve the issue.
With the APM, administrators receive detailed information about users, applications, and the network to create network and application access policies–and the solution gives them a single point of control from which to enforce those policies globally. Big-IP v11 continues to focus on F5’s platform for a dynamic data center, which is designed to enable small to medium-size businesses (SMBs) to deploy high-performance, scalable services on demand while keeping applications and data secure.
The platforms management and reporting capabilities allow administrators can track information, such as who is online and when, what type of device and network they are using, and which applications and other resources they are accessing, while DNS Express offloads existing DNS servers and absorbs the flood of illegitimate requests during attacks.
"The most significant breaches of late have been through exploiting web applications. Web application firewalls have seen great advances, but single-layer solutions are no longer enough to fend off today’s sophisticated attacks," said Greg Young, research vice president at IT analytics firm Gartner. "It’s vital for organizations to take a dedicated approach to security–one that protects both the network and the applications."
To read the original eWeek article, click here: F5 Networks Enhances Big-IP Security Platform