It’s no secret that security is the leading concern for the majority of public cloud users, but for some organizations and government agencies, it is even more paramount. For these groups, highly stringent regulatory and compliance requirements meant that in its infancy, the AWS cloud (or any other cloud for that matter) simply wasn’t a viable option for hosting their applications – that is until the release of the first AWS GovCloud (US) region back in 2011.
For those of you unfamiliar with AWS GovCloud and the purpose it serves, it essentially allows organizations who are responsible for highly sensitive data and IT workloads to proceed in concert with federal, state and local government compliance requirements (such as FedRAMP, ITAR and HIPAA) by providing an isolated and dedicated region of AWS infrastructure to securely deploy applications. This enables the IT organizations within these agencies to reap the same benefits of public cloud computing as all other AWS users: enhanced agility and scalability, and greater alignment of costs-to-usage within an OpEx budget model.
This is all well and good, but applications deployed in the AWS GovCloud are fundamentally similar to those found in other AWS regions, in that they still require the same advanced application delivery and security services to perform optimally. In light of this, F5 extensively tested and verified the BIG-IP Virtual Edition (VE) for use in AWS GovCloud (US) regions, meaning users have been able to download BIG-IP VE images for deployment in the AWS GovCloud for some time now.
Very recently, however, AWS announced the availability of a marketplace to accompany its GovCloud (US) region, providing customers with an online store in which to discover, purchase and install 3rd party software specifically vetted to ensure it meets the needs of their highly regulated workloads… and as one of the market pacesetters for public cloud integrations, F5 is delighted to announce the immediate availability of its application services in this new marketplace – making it fasterand easier for AWS GovCloud users to employ F5 solutions.
F5’s bottom line value proposition when it comes to anything ‘cloudy’ boils down to the consistency of application services across all hybrid cloud environments; with this development in F5’s public cloud story solidifying that value even further. Since the BIG-IP VEs available in this new AWS marketplace are exactly equivalent in capabilities and feature set with all other physical and virtual BIG-IP devices, it’s now even easier for government agencies and organizations to extend operations to the AWS cloud with the same application services and security policies they rely on today. Whether it be intelligent traffic management, advanced application protection or secure application access, all BIG-IP services available for on-premises, private cloud, public cloud and SaaS applications can now be rapidly instantiated in the AWS GovCloud thanks to this new marketplace integration.
On a final security-related note, F5’s WAF solution (BIG-IP ASM) has just been recognized as a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Web Application Firewalls. And with the primary purpose of AWS GovCloud revolving around significantly enhanced security, what better way to architect and build out app and data protection than by combining the most comprehensive WAF solution on the market with one of the securest environments in the public cloud space.
For more information, check out F5 in the AWS GovCloud Marketplace, or you can read more about migrating applications to AWS in this white paper.
About the Author
Related Blog Posts
F5 accelerates and secures AI inference at scale with NVIDIA Cloud Partner reference architecture
F5’s inclusion within the NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP) reference architecture enables secure, high-performance AI infrastructure that scales efficiently to support advanced AI workloads.
F5 Silverline Mitigates Record-Breaking DDoS Attacks
Malicious attacks are increasing in scale and complexity, threatening to overwhelm and breach the internal resources of businesses globally. Often, these attacks combine high-volume traffic with stealthy, low-and-slow, application-targeted attack techniques, powered by either automated botnets or human-driven tools.
F5 Silverline: Our Data Centers are your Data Centers
Customers count on F5 Silverline Managed Security Services to secure their digital assets, and in order for us to deliver a highly dependable service at global scale we host our infrastructure in the most reliable and well-connected locations in the world. And when F5 needs reliable and well-connected locations, we turn to Equinix, a leading provider of digital infrastructure.
Volterra and the Power of the Distributed Cloud (Video)
How can organizations fully harness the power of multi-cloud and edge computing? VPs Mark Weiner and James Feger join the DevCentral team for a video discussion on how F5 and Volterra can help.
Phishing Attacks Soar 220% During COVID-19 Peak as Cybercriminal Opportunism Intensifies
David Warburton, author of the F5 Labs 2020 Phishing and Fraud Report, describes how fraudsters are adapting to the pandemic and maps out the trends ahead in this video, with summary comments.
The Internet of (Increasingly Scary) Things
There is a lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) that gets attached to any emerging technology trend, particularly when it involves vast legions of consumers eager to participate. And while it’s easy enough to shrug off the paranoia that bots...