F5 announces advancements in multi-cloud networking partnerships

F5, a multi-cloud application security and delivery company, has reported new advancements in its technology partnerships and celebrated customer accomplishments, reinforcing its prominent position in multi-cloud networking. According to IDC, the multi-cloud networking market is projected to grow significantly, reaching USD $10.16 billion in 2028.

F5’s solutions are designed to address the unique complexities inherent in securely connecting applications and APIs across hybrid multi-cloud environments. The company's Distributed Cloud Services offer infrastructure-agnostic solutions to reduce networking complexity across data centres, clouds, and the edge while ensuring consistent application security policies and enforcement.

Highlighting the increasing demand for multi-cloud networking, F5’s 2024 State of Application Strategy Report indicates that nearly 90% of enterprises deploy applications and APIs across a mix of on-premises, cloud, or edge environments. Notably, the report shows that 38% of respondents operate applications across six or more environments, almost double the figure from 2023.

Arul Elumalai, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Distributed Cloud Platform and Security Services at F5, commented, “Modern enterprises today must manage a multitude of disparate applications hosted on multiple clouds and on-premises environments. The realities of today’s hybrid multi-cloud infrastructures mandate that applications must be stitched together to deliver secure, fast, and reliable digital experiences.”

Elumalai emphasised that multi-cloud comes with significant complexity, cost, and security risks, stating, “F5’s secure multi-cloud networking capabilities abstract this complexity to connect and protect these distributed applications without having to pay attention to the cloud or infrastructure on which they run.”

Pratik Shah, Managing Director of India and SAARC at F5, noted the trends in the Indian market, "Indian businesses are rapidly adopting hybrid/multi-cloud technologies to modernise and accelerate revenue. However, this has heightened security challenges due to sophisticated cyber threats, increasing demand for enhanced cloud security. According to Gartner, security and risk management spending in India is expected to grow by 12% year-on-year in 2024.”

He added, “At F5, we understand these challenges and are expanding our partnerships with NetApp, Red Hat, Console Connect, and others to provide innovative solutions that simplify the complexities of securely connecting applications across hybrid environments.”

Moreover, F5 has announced new partnerships with several key technology players to boost its multi-cloud networking capabilities further:

Through collaboration with NetApp, F5 provides enterprises with robust, secure, and agile data mobility capabilities, maximising hybrid cloud return on investment (ROI) while reducing IT overhead. NetApp’s Blue XP, a cloud-native unified management experience, integrates on-site storage with the public cloud, enhancing data security, availability, cost efficiency, and performance. F5’s Distributed Cloud Services offer Blue XP users a secure multi-cloud networking (MCN) solution, simplifying data mobility and disaster recovery processes.

F5 has strengthened its collaboration with Red Hat to simplify the migration and management of cloud workloads using Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA). Integration for F5 Distributed Cloud Services with ROSA enables improved security capabilities, reduced complexity, and lower costs for managing hybrid cloud environments. This collaboration leverages F5 Distributed Cloud App Connect for more seamless app-to-app communication and security-optimised workload migration.

F5’s partnership with Console Connect, a premier Network as a Service (NaaS) provider, integrates Console Connect with F5 across multiple Points of Presence (PoPs), enhancing global multi-cloud networking solutions. The collaboration is underpinned by a Tier 1 IP network, enhancing data movement security and efficiency across cloud environments. Customers benefit from F5 Distributed Cloud Services, including DDoS Protection on Console Connect’s global network and streamlined deployment of customer-edge (CE) software capabilities.

Several customers have successfully utilised F5’s Distributed Cloud Services to bolster their application and API security, performance, and management. The Ailos Cooperative, a financial services provider, implemented F5 solutions to connect its application portfolio across public clouds and proprietary data centres, ensuring consistent protection and high performance. Grupo lve, an educational technology provider, leveraged F5’s secure multi-cloud networking solution to reduce complexity and administrative workloads significantly. McGraw Hill, an educational content provider, adopted F5’s services to streamline multi-cloud management and enhance security. The Scottish Government utilised F5’s solutions to create a unified administrative model and facilitate a seamless transition to a multi-cloud infrastructure.