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Overcome Complexity and Simplify Your Hybrid Cloud Cybersecurity

Beth McElroy Thumbnail
Beth McElroy
Published January 10, 2024

Is your security stack growing in complexity? Has adding cybersecurity solutions to your multi-cloud infrastructure and applications caused headaches and end-user frustration? Are you spending too much time and money on procurement, deployment, and management?

You’re not alone. Recent survey data from Ernst & Young shows that 84% of organizations are in the early stages of adding multiple new technologies to their existing suite of cybersecurity solutions.1 Yet, they realize that this sprawl threatens efficient cyber protection.

To dig deeper into how organizations can overcome these challenges, Actual Tech hosted the It Takes a Village to Secure Your Business webinar. Experts Mistie Hughes-Garza, Global Partner Manager at F5, Joshua Haslett, Strategic Technology Partner Manager at Google Cloud, and Joshua Bushman, Practice Lead at WWT, discussed their collaboration and how they’re helping companies simplify everything from procurement and design to security and management. Read on to learn about key messages from the event.

Develop a strategic approach to overcome complexity

Ease the procurement process. Organizations often must navigate choosing independent software vendors (ISVs) as well as their cloud security and data management solutions. Simplifying at the procurement stage is a must. Partners like WWT guide customers through their options and help them cut through the clutter to adopt technologies that streamline multi-cloud and application deployments quickly and efficiently. This saves time, enhances agility, and boosts a competitive edge.

Working with knowledgeable partners that have the expertise and relationships to expedite procurement, IT teams can confidently address issues in a fraction of the time, sometimes from days down to hours. In security, that response is vital. If you're down for hours, it can be millions of dollars.

Embrace open innovation: Google Cloud, an F5 strategic technology partner, delivers an advanced platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to defend against sophisticated threat actors. ISVs are then able to integrate the security solutions. Here are a few ways Google Cloud makes this possible:

  1. Open-source commitment and support. This approach encourages rapid advancement and adaptability through community-driven development.
  2. Kubernetes and containerization. Kubernetes automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications, which streamlines application deployment and development workflows.
  3. Multi-cloud and hybrid cloud strategies. Google Cloud’s multi-cloud friendly approach using Kubernetes support offers flexibility and prevents vendor lock-in, allowing operation across various infrastructures.
  4. Google Cloud Anthos: Built on Kubernetes for running applications anywhere, this platform creates consistency across environments.

Elevate cybersecurity. Collaborating with WWT and Google Cloud, F5 leverages solutions to help customers manage the intricacies of application delivery and security across their multi-cloud environments. Along with WWT’s implementation support and Google Cloud’s infrastructure, F5 delivers the security solutions that equip businesses to maintain consistent security measures and a high-quality user experience as they transition to and scale within cloud environments.

F5 solutions are available via the Google Cloud Marketplace, letting customers make self-service, pay-as-you-go purchases. Alternately, customers can work with F5 or WWT directly to build pre-negotiated private offers. With almost all F5 solutions available, customers can build the right security and application delivery solution for their needs.

Here are just a few solutions in the F5 toolbox:

  • Access and identity management: F5® BIG-IP® Access Policy Manager® (APM) secures, simplifies, and centralizes access to applications, APIs, and data, regardless of where users are located.
  • Application delivery controller (ADC): The F5® BIG-IP® product family, one of the most popular ADC solutions on the market, improves app performance, increases app availability, enhances app security, and can help reduce IT costs by centralizing management.
  • Global traffic management: F5® BIG-IP® Global Traffic Manager™ (GTM) ensures that user requests are directed appropriately, improving load times and reliability.
  • Web application firewall (WAF): F5® BIG-IP® Advanced WAF® provides security against web exploits and malicious traffic.
  • SaaS-based security, networking, and application management services: The F5® Distributed Cloud Platform enables customers to deploy, secure, and operate their applications in a cloud-native environment wherever needed.

Advocate for a human-centric approach

F5, Google Cloud, and WWT stand out for their technological innovations and, as importantly, for their unified commitment to a human-centric approach. This is essential because it centers on building systems that prioritize the user experience for both employees and customer end users, ensuring that security protocols don’t become hindrances to productivity or customer satisfaction.

F5 is dedicated to demystifying the security process, making it as invisible and frictionless as possible for the end user. This philosophy is evident in their portfolio of security solutions, allowing users to engage with critical applications seamlessly and securely.

WWT offers specialized consulting and implementation services to ensure these solutions are integrated into customers' environments with minimal disruption.

Google Cloud's infrastructure, which supports this human-centric approach with user-friendly interfaces and powerful automation capabilities, enhances the overall experience for IT teams and end users. The result is security that blends into the background of everyday operations.

This people-first mindset differentiates the F5, Google Cloud, and WWT collaboration—ensuring the highest standards of protection and usability.

Simplifying security, empowering IT teams and end users

Whether you are just starting your distributed cloud journey or eager to simplify your current cyber strategy, F5 has the technology that helps fortify your posture. Partners like WWT are here to support you with procurement, solution design, training, implementation, and management.

As demonstrated in the It Takes a Village to Secure Your Business webinar, you can rely on F5, WWT, and Google Cloud to deliver leading technology and services that simplify procurement, solutions design, security, management, and end-user experiences for the apps and services you offer. Watch the replay and hear more practical advice about reducing cybersecurity friction in your hybrid cloud ecosystem.

Visit f5.com/gcp for more information about the F5 Google Cloud alliance.