F5's Remote Access Product Delivers Superior Protection for Enterpris

    Business Editors/High-Tech Writers
    RSA Conference 2005

    SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2005--F5 Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:FFIV):

    -- F5's SSL VPN solution has out-of-the-box integration with all
    the leading anti-virus and personal firewall products, making
    distribution, management and enforcement simple and highly
    cost effective for enterprises

    F5 Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:FFIV), the global leader in Application Traffic Management, today announced that its award-winning secure remote access solution, FirePass Controller, offers the market's most comprehensive endpoint security to enable better trust and policy management for end-to-end remote access security.
    "Today, allowing remote access to the corporate network might involve users working from home PCs, airport kiosks, business partners' systems, and other devices that companies don't have control over," said Mark Bouchard, CISSP, Sr. Program Director at The META Group. "In order for organizations to reduce their exposure to malware, viruses, and other security threats, they must automate edge security by enforcing policies on every user's device that attaches to the network."
    FirePass Controller extends its integration with a variety of major desktop anti-virus and desktop firewall solutions through F5's partnership with OPSWAT. Anti-virus products from Symantec, Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro, CA eTrust, F-Secure, Sophos, Kaspersky Labs, Panda, FRISK, Zone Labs, Authentium, Gritsoft, BitDefender, Doctor Web, and Eset all integrate readily with F5's SSL VPN product. FirePass Controller also offers out-of-the-box integration with desktop firewall products from Zone Labs, Sygate, Microsoft, McAfee, Symantec, and Tiny Software. Finally, FirePass offers an integrated solution for the Google Desktop, allowing users to access corporate networks remotely without caching or indexing network files.
    "It's important that vendors who offer secure remote access solutions have products that can readily work for every customer, no matter what desktop security solution the customer has in place," said Doug Brunt, SVP Business Development at Authentium. "Customers are drawn to the SSL VPN solution that provides tight integration and automation with all the major desktop security products to ensure stringent endpoint security."
    The FirePass Controller can inspect remote devices such as home PC's or public kiosks to ensure that the devices comply with an organization's security policy. For instance, FirePass can check to ensure that remote users have updated virus signatures in their anti-virus software or have their personal firewalls set to an appropriate level of security before allowing those users to log into the corporate network. Users who fail some aspect of the security check can be remediated gracefully.
    By using OPSWAT's SDK, F5 was able to seamlessly incorporate endpoint security into the FirePass Controller management interface and deliver a powerful and easy to use solution. "Enterprises are compelled to perform very detailed checks on personal computers and client devices before giving them access to the network," said Benny Czarny, CEO and founder of OPSWAT. "Integration with OPSWAT extends the FirePass product's ability to work readily with a variety of anti-virus and personal firewall solutions to ensure that an enterprise's security policy is fully enforced at the network's edge."
    "At F5, we have an unwavering commitment to address our customers' application and network security requirements," said Jeff Pancottine, SVP and GM of the Security Business Unit at F5 Networks. "With the latest release of FirePass, no other vendor can currently offer the same level of endpoint security integration with such a broad array of desktop security vendors."
    F5 has also announced plans to work with Microsoft on its Network Access Protection (NAP) initiative to ensure that FirePass Controller will integrate seamlessly with Network Access Protection for Windows client machines.

    About F5 Networks

    F5 enables organizations to successfully deliver business-critical applications and gives them the greatest level of agility to stay ahead of growing business demands. As the pioneer and global leader in Application Traffic Management, F5 continues to lead the industry by driving more intelligence into the network to deliver advanced application agility. F5 products ensure the secure and optimized delivery of applications to any user -- anywhere. Through its flexible and cohesive architecture, F5 delivers unmatched value by dramatically improving the way organizations serve their employees, customers and constituents, while lowering operational costs. Over 6,000 organizations and service providers worldwide trust F5 to keep their businesses running. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington with offices worldwide. For more information go to www.f5.com.

    All brands, names, or trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

    This press release may contain forward looking statements relating to future events or future financial performance that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts", "potential" or "continue" or the negative of such terms or comparable terms. These statements are only predictions and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements based upon a number of factors including those identified in the Company's filings with the SEC.

--30--JR/sf*

CONTACT: F5 Networks, Inc. Alane Moran, 206-272-6850 a.moran@f5.com or Connect Public Relations Holly Hagerman, 801-373-7888 hollyh@connectpr.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA WASHINGTON TRACK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE NETWORKING TRADESHOW PRODUCT SOURCE: F5 Networks, Inc.

Copyright Business Wire 2005