F5 is Top Web Application Firewall Vendor in Asia Pacific

Analyst study says developments in WAF market benefit from integration with application delivery

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Frost Industry Quotient (IQ) places F5 in Champions Quadrant in Web Application Firewall (WAF) market in Asia Pacific and Japan
• Developments in the WAF market point to the advantages of integrating WAF functionality on Application Delivery Controller (ADC) platforms
• F5 sees traditional firewalls becoming less effective, giving rise to more intelligent security solutions

Asia Pacific – F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) leads the Web Applications Firewall (WAF) market in Asia Pacific, according to a recent study report by market research firm Frost & Sullivan. The Frost Industry Quotient (IQ) evaluated the top ten WAF vendors in the region, including Japan. It measured vendors on their market performance in CY 2012, along with product and service strategy, personnel and skills strategy, and their ecosystem and business strategies.

The Frost IQ noted that market developments are driving integration between the WAF and application delivery markets. This convergence is expected to provide greater network awareness, helping organizations protect web applications in more sophisticated and holistic ways. The study observed that integrating WAFs on Application Delivery Controller (ADC) platforms give customers greater visibility into web application traffic patterns prior to and during a cyber attack, meaning IT will be better positioned to defend against threats.

Frost & Sullivan expects the Asia Pacific WAF market to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 33 percent between 2013 and 2019, with highest growth rates occurring in the next two years. The firm also estimates the regional WAF market will be worth US $750 million by 2019.

Supporting quotes

“We recently unveiled F5 Synthesis™, our architectural vision for application delivery systems that intelligently orchestrate security, performance, and availability services. This approach enables customers to deploy our variety of application services across their entire suite of business applications, regardless of their deployment location. F5 Synthesis, through the use of tested reference architectures, ensures that applications are kept secure and available as customers make the journey toward software defined data centers. As cyber criminals become more sophisticated, the traditional firewall will no longer be as effective. In its place, we see the rise of ‘intelligent security’ that is flexible and responsive based on elements such as the apps, location, or user conditions. At the same time, security cannot come at the expense of performance. In 2014, we won’t see organizations approach security as a one-size-fits-all.”

Christian Hentschel, F5 Networks, SVP, Asia Pacific and Japan

“F5 continued to lead the Asia Pacific WAF market by relying on its strong market positioning and presence in the ADC market. In addition to offering the WAF as an add-on module on their ADC platform, F5 also strengthened their positioning with its standalone WAF solution in the market. By leveraging partnership efforts with solutions like WhiteHat Sentinel and IBM Rational AppScan, F5 can help businesses streamline the mitigation of application-based risks and provide proactive application-layer protection.”

Cathy Huang, Industry Manager, Frost & Sullivan, Asia Pacific

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community.

About F5

F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) makes apps go faster, smarter, and safer for the world’s largest businesses, service providers, governments, and consumer brands. F5 delivers cloud and security solutions that enable organizations to embrace the application infrastructure they choose without sacrificing speed and control. For more information, go to f5.com. You can also follow @f5networks on Twitter or visit us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technologies.

F5 is a trademark or service mark 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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