Case Studies

Recognizing the need to provide high performance and availability for critical business applications accessed by internal and external users, Administaff deploys F5's BIG-IP application delivery networking solution (both in the local and wide-area network), along with the BIG-IP Link Controller.

AGL Resources relies on four different F5 products to support their growing infrastructure investments and to improve their ROI. All four, in varying degrees, help AGL Resources secure, optimize and deliver their applications reliably and cost-effectively to any user, anywhere in the world, using any device.

By implementing the BIG-IP LTM with the WebAccelerator module, AUTOonline delivered high performance and availability for its website and ensured the scalability of its systems as it continues to grow its business worldwide.

AutoScout24 decided to integrate a separate load-balancing level based on BIG-IP LTM. BIG-IP LTM incorporates a range of monitoring functions for servers, applications and network components and uses them to determine which server is in the best position to execute a user's request.

F5 gives Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP Law better control of corporate data and more efficient network performance at all levels, as well as allowing more flexible working patterns to be adopted more widely, allowing employees to become more mobile and more productive.

By using F5 solutions, Blue Cross Blue Shield dramatically improved page load times, supercharged their application performance, improved their scalability to meet future growth challenges, and effectively locked down their data to meet the rigorous compliance goals mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

BMW Group is currently migrating all of their applications to the BIG-IP system to keep them available 24/7, secure, and fast. In addition to high availability and performance, there are other significant benefits to using BIGIP, including the SSL functionality and scalability.

BorderWare and F5 Networks developed a joint solution for enterprise email management. By combining the patented stateful failover of BorderWare's MXtreme Mail Firewall with F5's BIG-IP Application Delivery Networking system, enterprises can achieve unprecedented levels of email availability, reliability, scalability, and security.

Caixa Galicia, one of the most prominent financial institutions in Spain, uses F5 to provide high service availability, reduce bandwidth, and increase application security levels.

The relationships between partnering companies, like F5 and Oracle, often result in a competitive advantage over organizations trying to succeed alone. These technology partnerships are further enhanced by companies like CINTRA, system architects who implement these integrated solutions, offering intelligent configurations for complex environments.

F5's BIG-IP system not only allowed Classified Ventures to obtain a marked gain in application performance and improve the end user experience, but it worked to absorb increases in bandwidth costs.

When CombineNet was searching for a comprehensive solution that could provide application security, enhance scalability, and directly integrate applications via open standards, they looked to the flexibility and power of F5 Networks BIG-IP^® application traffic management product and the iControl^® SDK/API, to increase network performance and substantially reduce costs.

F5 helps Commerzbank, one of Europe's leading financial institutions, solve scalability and performance issues on a local and global level.

F5's BIG-IP local traffic manager provides IT service provider T-Systems with the tools that allow customers to enjoy secure and reliable access to Deutsche Post's STAMPIT^® PC postage system.

F5 Networks BIG-IP^® device helps Discovery Networks Europe provide scalability during peak viewing periods, allow application servers to be taken offline without loss of service, simplify operations by integrating load balancing with SSL, improve performance, and more.

With F5, DoubleClick experiences premium ad performance and increased server capacity to meet the growing need for their mission-critical ad services. F5 also delivers a streamlined management approach to handle DoubleClick's expected growth in an operationally efficient manner.

As a long-standing F5 customer, easyJet upgraded their F5 products to support the 32 web servers across both facilities. In addition, easyJet deployed two FirePass SSL VPN 4100s to provide support staff with secure remote access to its infrastructure for performing routine maintenance and fault resolution.

EZTec used F5's Application Ready Network Deployment Guides for Oracle 10g Application Server and Oracle Collaboration Suite to successfully implement Oracle solutions with the F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager.

Today some 110,000 investors in the United Kingdom and New Zealand count on FNZ-powered web sites for help in planning their financial future. Serving so many people might have been impossible had FNZ not done some advance planning of its own. Thanks in part to F5's BIG-IP products and other F5 solutions, the company equipped itself from the outset to supply an expanding customer base with fast, reliable, and secure access to financial data.

By developing an iRule, the telecommunications company saved $1 million and solved a phone software problem in a weekend instead of the nine months quoted by the phone's manufacturer. Through the use of iRules along with F5's BIG-IP LTM and GTM, the company improved efficiencies for delivering voice, video, data and wireless services seamlessly and transparently to customers over a common network.

Using F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager 6400, Komplett improved the speed and stability of its websites, boosted the efficiency of its email communications, put its online payment procedures in line with international security standards, and greatly simplified the management of its security certificates.

Taking advantage of a versatile product suite, Lake Forest Hospital chose F5's BIG-IP Link Controller and FirePass SSL VPN to keep their network applications safe, reliable, and fast.

By implementing F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM), Leibniz Computing Center improved application performance on its expansive network, reduced operating costs, and prepared its infrastructure to meet emerging standards (IPv6).

Using F5 Networks 3-DNS^® Controller (BIG-IP GTM) to automatically steer corporate users to backup systems, this organization was able cut their fail-over time, while removing the need to coordinate far reaching changes throughout their enterprise.

The power of the BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager has made it a central control point for the entire Lloyds Pharmacy network. A real workhorse, it handles address distribution and crypto-offload along with standard data management, in a highly secure environment.

For the core of their critical online services, Matsui selected F5 Networks' BIG-IP v9 Local Traffic Manager for load distribution and SSL processing.

The BIG-IP system is an integral part of MercadoLibre's goals of providing a fast, reliable, and secure site for millions of online buyers and sellers in Latin America - today and well into the future.

Utilizing an XML interface, Microsoft was able to integrate F5's BIG-IP traffic manager with Application Center 2000 clusters. The BIG-IP device is a high availability traffic manager that utilizes Microsoft application-specific information to influence local traffic control.

The BIG-IP has enabled MSN Games to "vastly improve" their ability to do server maintenance by pushing traffic to other servers without dropping connections. Overall system availability has gone from 80 percent to 99.5 percent without random errors, slow web page responses, or the "500" errors that indicate servers are too busy.

During the 2002 Winter Olympics, traffic to the MSNBC.com site cumulated with over 9 million daily visitors and over 74 million page views -- yet the site maintained 99.98% availability at the core, thanks in part to a strong infrastructure, smart planning, and traffic management products from F5 Networks.

The BIG-IP Link Controller not only ensured that customers were connected, but it allowed NWMLS to increase user performance and ensure that their corporate bandwidth investments were maximized to their fullest extent.

F5's BIG-IP Link Controller and FirePass Controller, enabled Organon Pharmaceuticals to dramatically reduce access, administrative, and support costs compared to previous solutions.

Recognizing the need for a robust application delivery networking product that would give their clients highly available and secure access to their documents and to their site, PaperHost chose F5's BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager for unprecedented availability, reliability, scalability, and security.

PDXLAN employs F5's BIG-IP Link Controller to manage both incoming and outgoing traffic, to direct users over the best link, and to ensure that gamers at PDXLAN events have the best experience possible.

Rapattoni replaced their previous traffic management device (NetScaler) with F5's BIG-IP Application Traffic Management solution, citing better end-user performance, increased scalability, lower TCO, granular control over traffic Compression, and a mature and intuitive user interface.

F5's BIG-IP Link Controller, an integrated load balancing product, proved to be the ideal solution for the District, successfully managing both incoming and outgoing site traffic, directing users over the best link, and completely eliminating previous complaints about site accessibility and speed.

StepStone selected the F5 BIG-IP LTM system to perform load balancing, SSL encryption and caching; replacing their previous six device solution with one device.

Recognizing the need for products that ensure high availability and reliable delivery of their data to a far-reaching global community, Thomson Scientific and Healthcare relies on F5's BIG-IP Global Traffic Manager (formerly 3-DNS) and F5's BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager.

To address the global persistence challenge associated with the thick client application, Jason Rahm wrote an iRule that uses powerful array capabilities and cookies to ensure that client connections are always directed to the appropriate datacenter. This provided a much better user experience while overcoming the database replication latency issue.

The F5 solution has greatly improved the resilience of the Virgin Radio website while providing an invaluable monitoring service that also serves to efficiently load balance the new podcast download facility.

With more than 2.5 million users accessing Vurv's web-based applications worldwide, traffic management and security are top concerns. That's why Vurv uses the BIG-IP LTM with ASM to ensure high performance and defend against intrusion.

With F5's solutions, XCalibre's entire "virtualisation" infrastructure is much easier to maintain. IT personnel can make hardware swaps, memory upgrades and configuration changes without having to disrupt customer services.

With the need to maintain high security and adhere to the implementation schedule, a simple iRule was created and implemented within the BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager which restructured IP packets to circumvent an application bug and allow the project to complete on time with no compromise to performance, security or design.

Aéroports de Paris chose the FirePass from F5 to meet its secure remote access needs. Additionally, in order to ensure the high level of availability and the scalability of the secure remote access through FirePass, ADP also opted for the BIG-IP solution.

The F5 FirePass solution provides the Port of Algeciras with secure access to applications, such as Oracle Financials, and other corporate data. This helps boost productivity for people who are travelling or working from home.

By introducing F5's FirePass^® devices to interface with an Oracle portal, the department has not only provided secure access but has saved time and the expense of rewriting the corporate applications.

By implementing F5 FirePass SSL VPN, B-Source delivered extremely secure, remote access to a wide range of applications while providing its clients with an excellent user experience. Centralized management has helped B-Source reduce management-related costs.

The benefits for the IT department include a rapid setup time for new users which requires just a few minutes and can be performed remotely. Also, the lack of a software client on the user device allows remote access using more types of hardware such as Macintosh, Linux and PDA's - which was previously a complex procedure.

To keep associates productive no matter where they are and to keep unwanted intruders out of its network, Coast Capital Savings deployed F5's FirePass Controller as a mainstay of its perimeter security and to replace a complex, hard-to-manage IPSec VPN scheme.

F5's FirePass gave CVM's remote users secure and reliable access to any authorized application from any Web-enabled device, from any location, without requiring special software or configuration on the remote device, and with no modifications to the back-end resources being accessed.

F5's FirePass SSL VPN appliance provides secure access to corporate applications and data for Eagle Global Logistics using a standard web browser. Delivering outstanding performance, scalability, ease-of-use, and end-point security, FirePass helps increase the productivity remote users, while keeping corporate data secure.

As a long-standing F5 customer, easyJet upgraded their F5 products to support the 32 web servers across both facilities. In addition, easyJet deployed two FirePass SSL VPN 4100s to provide support staff with secure remote access to its infrastructure for performing routine maintenance and fault resolution.

Today some 110,000 investors in the United Kingdom and New Zealand count on FNZ-powered web sites for help in planning their financial future. Serving so many people might have been impossible had FNZ not done some advance planning of its own. Thanks in part to F5's BIG-IP products and other F5 solutions, the company equipped itself from the outset to supply an expanding customer base with fast, reliable, and secure access to financial data.

FirePass helps GTA increase the productivity of those working from home or on the road while keeping data secure. In addition, GTA is also using F5's BIG-IP LTM to efficiently manage application traffic, and F5's WANJet products to accelerate applications including file transfer, e-mail, and client-server applications on the wide area network.

HK life tested three vendors for SSL VPN and selected F5 for its outstanding performance. The F5 FirePass offered a complete IPSec remote access replacement for improved workforce productivity. It also provided dynamic policy-based access for greater security and network control.

To help their physicians stay connected with critical applications and information from any location, and to keep that information secure, IPC uses F5's FirePass SSL VPN solution.

Within the first three minutes of evaluating F5's FirePass SSL VPN, the Kent School District was completely blown away by its ease of use. Within five minutes they were sold. Within weeks of implementing FirePass, calls to the District support center dropped by 90%.

This contractor is leveraging F5's FirePass SSL VPN as a key component to providing government workers with secure, remote access to the financial system. Not only has this saved U.S. taxpayers money by providing a low-cost solution to a potentially high-cost infrastructure, it has mitigated the need for employees to travel among Ministry locations.

Taking advantage of a versatile product suite, Lake Forest Hospital chose F5's BIG-IP Link Controller and FirePass SSL VPN to keep their network applications safe, reliable, and fast.

After an extensive evaluation of Web-based remote access products, MGHS chose F5's FirePass^® controller. The FirePass gave remote users secure and reliable access to authorized applications from any Web-enabled device, from any location.

Using FirePass, NTT Data Sanyo System Corporation was able to achieve an SSL VPN service with high functionality and security which meets the demanding service requirements of the enterprise. The highly reliable FirePass SSL VPN provided secure, trouble-free service with a low operational burden.

F5's BIG-IP Link Controller and FirePass Controller, enabled Organon Pharmaceuticals to dramatically reduce access, administrative, and support costs compared to previous solutions.

Perry Manufacturing uses the FirePass system to provide convenient, worldwide access to their proprietary AS/400 applications. Additionally, Perry's business travelers now use FirePass to access their company email from any location, using only a Web browser.

Rogers Corporation has clients all over the world and their sales engineers and managers often travel globally to sell their products. F5 Networks' FirePass provides secure remote access to company information and applications, no matter where they are.

Santa Barbara Charter employs F5's FirePass SSL VPN solution as an affordable and effective method for ensuring constant and secure access to their network and the critical information it contains.

When SAP was looking for a solution to replace their previous VPN technology, they chose the FirePass^® device from F5. The FirePass device allowed SAP to overcome the limitations and complexity of their previous solution, and provide nearly 7,000 SAP employees secure remote access every day, from any location, using any type of device.

Not only does the F5 FirePass controller make it easier for the Siemens Energy and Automation IT department to support users anywhere, but FirePass also enables users to securely access the network regardless of the computer they are using.

SIH chose the FirePass controller from F5 because it had the lowest TCO comparative to other offerings, the most flexible and scalable licensing model based on maximum allowed concurrent user volume, and superior F5 Networks sales and technical support.

F5's FirePass gave Sports Authority's remote users, employees, and vendors secure and reliable access to any authorized application from any Web-enabled device, from any location, without requiring special software or configuration on the remote device, and with no modifications to the back-end resources being accessed.

After an extensive evaluation of the leading SSL VPN solutions, UNICEF-USA selected F5's FirePass^® device as its remote access solution. The FirePass system gave UNICEF-USA's very remote users secure, easy, Web-based access to the corporate network, while reducing the workload of the IT department.

The West Chester Area School District is one of the largest districts in Pennsylvania. The district found the costs of upgrading its Citrix-based virtual private network (VPN) prohibitive. Instead, the school district implemented FirePass SSL VPN from F5 at less than half of what the Citrix upgrade would have cost, and with greatly expanded capabilities.

To deal with the peaks in traffic, Boscov's IT group implemented F5's WebAccelerator^™ to optimize its web application performance. While page views have doubled, CPU usage has dropped by half, allowing Boscov's IT group to focus on driving sales rather than building infrastructure.

Today some 110,000 investors in the United Kingdom and New Zealand count on FNZ-powered web sites for help in planning their financial future. Serving so many people might have been impossible had FNZ not done some advance planning of its own. Thanks in part to F5's BIG-IP products and other F5 solutions, the company equipped itself from the outset to supply an expanding customer base with fast, reliable, and secure access to financial data.

After installation of the WANJet appliance, the effect was clear to everyone involved at Gaitame.com. Data throughput has improved by up to 20-times. As a result, files in the database that previously took up to 15 minutes to send can now be sent in seconds.

Since adding the initial three F5 WANJet appliances to its network, GASAI has watched its WAN bandwidth jump a whopping 230 percent. With employees able to effectively collaborate on engineering drawings over the WAN, GASAI has been able to reduce travel costs significantly and save between $3,000 and $5,000 each month in employee time.

To enhance the usability of their Plumtree portal, British Land deployed F5 WebAccelerator. The solution resulted in a 700% improvement in performance and reduced bandwidth utilization by 5X.

With WANJet^® increasing the bandwidth capacity by 1000%, Brownshoe was able to use a 7 Mbps link instead of upgrading to 90 Mbps, achieving a hard dollar ROI in less than three months.

F5 WANJet is deployed in CitiStreet's data centers and provides application acceleration and WAN optimization to maximize throughput over the WAN. With the WANJet, CitiStreet realized all private information transferred securely at 6X the response time and with a 20X throughput improvement.

With the installation of WebAccelerator, Epson now supports over 1 million page views per day. Epson.com has realized a dramatic and consistent increase in response time, from an average of 75 seconds to less than one second, regardless of traffic.

The deployment of the F5 WANJet^® dramatically lowered bandwidth requirements, freeing 70 percent of the bandwidth for more data throughput. Now, application response time is almost real-time, and the company saw a hard dollar ROI within six months.

Fulfillment Plus installed F5 WANJet^®, which increased application response times by over 400% and increased capacity by over 800%. With F5, FFP was able to save valuable dollars, avoid a costly network upgrade and also dramatically boost employee productivity.

After researching possible options, the company tested and deployed the F5' solution. Installation of the F5 WebAccelerator improved page download times from upwards of 10 seconds to between 2 to 3 seconds.

By employing WANJet, Santa Barbara Charter is able to consistently access the network and operate in real time, improving the overall efficiency and happiness of its WAN users. Because WANJet's QoS feature lets the company tune their networks for round-the-clock application performance, Santa Barbara Charter can always expect predictable performance, regardless of time of day or location.

Bank of Jerusalem needed to find a comprehensive solution that addresses the inherent vulnerabilities associated with Web-based applications and services. TrafficShield helped Bank of Jerusalem safeguard data, reduce costs and comply with stringent regulations.

By using F5 solutions, Blue Cross Blue Shield dramatically improved page load times, supercharged their application performance, improved their scalability to meet future growth challenges, and effectively locked down their data to meet the rigorous compliance goals mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Today some 110,000 investors in the United Kingdom and New Zealand count on FNZ-powered web sites for help in planning their financial future. Serving so many people might have been impossible had FNZ not done some advance planning of its own. Thanks in part to F5's BIG-IP products and other F5 solutions, the company equipped itself from the outset to supply an expanding customer base with fast, reliable, and secure access to financial data.

F5's Application Security Manager is critical to InCharge's risk management model. The Application Security Manager gives InCharge insight and knowledge of their DMZ, and enhances their ability to manage risk.

In a fully redundant TrafficShield configuration, alongside its BIG-IP 3400's, F5 gives the Sporting Index an effective solution to website security, SSL encryption and load balancing without compromising performance.