Rethinking Progress Kemp LoadMaster?
F5 goes beyond traditional load balancing with the Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP), an integrated ecosystem designed to protect and optimize apps. wherever they run.
F5 leads modern application delivery at enterprise scale
While Kemp emphasizes on upfront affordability, true Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is measured by performance, security resilience, and architectural flexibility over time. F5’s ADSP empowers modern enterprises to run, scale, and protect their most critical workloads seamlessly across hybrid multicloud environments.
The power of a platform
Reduce tool sprawl with a platform that easily integrates into any environment
Optimized for AI data delivery
Leverage solutions uniquely engineered to handle heavy, AI-driven workloads
Redefining TCO
Reduce true long-term TCO, consolidating advanced modules into a single platform
Enterprise-ready security
Adaptable protection against an evolving threat landscape
When a load balancer needs to be an application platform
F5 | Progress Kemp LoadMaster | ||
Architectural Approach |  Holistic platform across hardware, software, multicloud, and edge (BIG-IP, NGINX, XC). |  Traditional point-solution load balancing. | |
AI Workload Readiness | Advanced traffic steering, high throughput, and S3 optimization for AI data delivery. | Basic traffic management; not optimized for heavy AI/ML pipelines. | |
Efficacy with Dell ObjectScale | | Kemp’s flagship hardware device (LM-XHC100-NG) reaches its L4 limit at 91Gbps which could lead to bottlenecks under high-concurrency workloads or targeted attacks. | |
App Security | Advanced WAF, Bot Management, API Discovery/Security, and DDoS mitigation. | Standard WAF and basic authentication. | |
Modern Environments | NGINX provides native, high-performance Kubernetes integration and microservices support. | Limited containerized capabilities; heavily reliant on traditional virtual/hardware appliances. | |
Long-Term TCO | High ROI through consolidated security, reduced tool sprawl, and future-proof scalability. | Low initial purchase price, but only supports subscription buying models, risking hidden costs in management, separate security tools, and downtime. |
Benefits of F5
High-performance AI data delivery
F5 is built to handle the heavy, highly dynamic traffic demands of modern AI and machine learning pipelines.
Full stack app integration
Connect, protect, and optimize your entire application landscape from a single platform for seamless interoperability and consistent policies.
Reduce complexity with consolidated security
Defend against complex threats with an all-in-one, enterprise-grade security suite.
Declarative, DevOps-first automation
Standardize, automate, and deploy application services instantly through CI/CD pipelines.
Ensure compliance with enhanced resiliency
Maintain uncompromising security standards with the toolsets needed to meet regulatory compliance and high availability.
Future-proof architectural scalability
Scale your applications seamlessly over time without costly rip-and-replace cycles.
F5 is a purpose-built front door for AI storage
AI workloads have increased the scale of traffic in front of Dell ObjectScale, pushing traditional load balancers like Kemp’s Connection Manager to their limits. F5 BIG-IP handles these surges natively with F5 hardware. SecureIQLab validated that BIG-IP delivers 1.4 Tb/s of encrypted throughput with just a ±6% delta versus direct-to-cluster and kept pipelines running even during a single-node SYN flood.
Terabit-class speed
Validated 1.4 Tb/s encrypted throughput on Dell hardware
Proven under disruption
BIG-IP kept ObjectScale available during a single-node SYN flood
Full-proxy isolation
Independent TCP state stops disruption at BIG-IP, not the nodes
Case studies that include F5 BIG-IP for Dell ObjectScale storage deployments
Awards, recognition, and reports
FAQs
Upfront hardware sticker prices and renewal fees only represent a fraction of real operational costs. In complex or growing environments, basic load balancers can force you to purchase, integrate, and manage separate third-party security tools, resulting in costly tool sprawl and ongoing management overhead.
Sticker price isn’t always total cost. F5 reduces tool sprawl by combining application delivery and advanced security in one platform. And compare licensing apples-to-apples: Kemp is often subscription; F5 can be perpetual. Over three years, the cost gap often narrows or flips.
F5 pairs enterprise capabilities with modern operations. Use a GUI, or automate with declarative APIs (AS3) and tools like Ansible/Terraform in CI/CD. ADSP also encompasses NGINX and F5 Distributed Cloud for Kubernetes or cloud-managed deployments.
Migrating basic load balancing workflows is easy; migrating today's modernized environments is not. Many teams rely on iRules, SSL/TLS policies, persistence, and security integrations. Moving to a simpler tool can mean lost functionality or new workarounds. F5 lets you modernize without breaking existing behavior.
For small, static sites, basic load balancing can work. For high-volume apps, APIs, Kubernetes, and AI/ML data flows, performance and visibility matter. F5's ADSP is built for high throughput and low latency in any environment, helping prevent bottlenecks as traffic patterns and complexity grow.
Point products can create silos that are harder to secure and manage over time. F5 ADSP gives consistent policy and visibility across data center, Kubernetes, and multi-cloud, using BIG IP, NGINX, or Distributed Cloud as needed, so you can start small and scale without re-architecting.
Next steps
Discover how the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform can deliver and secure your most critical applications, simplify your architecture, and accelerate your AI initiatives.