F5 Year In Review

As December brings 2017 to a close, it also marks an opportunity to be retrospective and look back on the year that was. This past month, we’ve been highlighting some of our blog posts, security research, reports, F5 Labs threat intelligence, and webinars, which map to the biggest trends of 2017. Check out the #F5YearInReview hashtag on Twitter to get the full rundown of posts and share your favorite piece of F5 content or news of 2017, and include the #F5YearInReview hashtag.

Below is a full rundown of posts – separated by theme – and if you’re looking for some forward-looking predictions, don’t miss Lori MacVittie’s blog post, “Five Predictions for 2018 You Can Pretty Much Bank On.”

Cloud:

• Multi-Cloud Strategy & Solutions: Lori MacVittie highlights the importance of multi-cloud solutions that include app services that will deliver a secure and satisfactory application experience.
• Success Cloud Migrations: F5 SVP Calvin Rowland guides you through making the leap to the cloud, as well as the benefits that will make your cloud migrations worthwhile.
• Lift & Shift Cloud Whitepaper: If you’re considering moving enterprise applications to the public cloud, this is a great read to get you started. With five rules to follow and one rule to break, this whitepaper will set you straight on your journey to the cloud.
• Multi-Cloud Maze Webinar: More of a visual or audio learner? Check out Robert Haynes on-demand webinar on how your organization can succeed in the multi-cloud world.  
• NetOps/DevOps #F5Agility17 Survey: We surveyed more than 850 DevOps and NetOps professionals to uncover how the two groups are working to shrink the digital divide.  
• Public Cloud Security Report: Who’s responsible for security in the public cloud? Answer: We all are! Read the Gartner report to get a better understanding of who’s responsible for what.
• Public Cloud Assessment: Take our quick, 3-minute survey to see how you stack up against your industry peers when it comes to the cloud.

Security:

• Gartner WAF Magic Quadrant: Read about WAF market trends and see why F5 is a Leader in the 2017 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Web Application Firewalls.
• IoT DDoS Attacks: This year was full massive, volumetric IoT attacks, but Lori MacVittie warns that ignoring smaller attacks could invite the larger, destructive DDoS attempt against an organization.
• Security findings in #SOAD17: F5 Evangelist David Holmes discusses security trends in our annual State of Application Delivery report. (And stay tuned for the 2018 version to be released in January!)
• Web Application Firewalls: Struggling with where a web application firewall (WAF) should be placed in the data path? Read Lori MacVittie’s blog.
• 2017 CISO Report: How critical is the CISO to enterprise IT security? Find out in this survey of more than 200 InfoSec professionals. 
• Credential Stuffing: Read the F5 Newsroom blog to find out everything you need to know (and why you should be worried) about credential stuffing.
• F5 Silverline: Learn more about our cloud-based DDoS protection solution and chat directly with a F5 Silverline agent to discuss the appropriate security solution to protect your company’s data and reputation.
• What is (not) App Security?: In an F5 Newsroom blog by Lori MacVittie, she clears the air by sharing three things that app security is not. Just remember, app security is not optional!

F5 Labs Threat Intelligence:

• The Hunt For IoT Report: The second volume of the F5 Labs IoT report series dissects the networks that were building Death Star-sized botnets earlier this year.
• Using F5 Labs Threat Intelligence: In January, we officially launched the dedicated F5Labs.com site and this blog post highlights how our team’s threat intelligence can be leveraged by peers across the industry.
• Quantum Computing Report: Quantum computing is poised to be another big topic in 2018. Get up to speed entering the New Year by reading David Holmes’ report, “How Quantum Computing Will Change Browser Encryption.”
• The CISO Field Guide: Looking to end 2017 with a chuckle? Read F5 Labs guest blogger Bill Hughes’ hysterical take on how to familiarize yourself with a few common varieties of CISOs.
• Reaper Thingbot: As the name suggests, our F5 Labs researchers argue Reaper “isn’t your mama’s botnet” and “is a proper botnet,” with the potential to exploit as many as 3.5 million devices.
• Russian Hackers: With all the discussion surrounding alleged involvement in the 2016 election by Russian hackers, F5 Labs’ Ray Pompon shared insights from his experience as part of an undercover FBI investigation in 2000.
• Who Should the CISO report to?: Trends show the reporting structure shifting the CISO away from the IT organization. Read Ray Pompon’s reasons why there is much to be gained by the CISO getting out from under IT.

Lastly, and definitely not least, F5 welcomed our new President and CEO, François Locoh-Donou, in April of this year. Check out the GeekWire profile, “Lessons From Togo”, to read about what Locoh-Donou learned about business and life while growing up in Africa.