SINGAPORE: F5 Networks, a provider of computer networking services and solutions, announces BIG-IP 12.1 application delivery software, with enhanced security capabilities and support for traditional data centers, cloud and hybrid architecture. The new software provides strong policy based security and enables customers in the Asia Pacific to ensure application security, resolve critical app protection gaps and strengthen anti-fraud defenses.

With the growing expansion of internet-facing applications, security threats are increasingly prevalent on business-critical web services with attacks getting more sophisticated. F5’s new software, BIG-IP 12.1, delivers application services with complicated security policies for on-premises and hybrid cloud environments.

The software includes enhancements for web application defense with BIG-IP Application Security Manager (ASM).  With unique, customizable bot detection methods that enable detailed analysis, and extensive device ID tracking, the software secures business-critical applications with advanced threat protection and visibility over application and location. It also includes accelerated blacklisting of malicious IPs in hardware at high rates for layer 7 threats, providing coverage until feed lists are updated with BIG-IP ASM.

The BIG-IP 12.1 provides visibility into HTML 5 WebSocket connections for comprehensive policy protection. Updates in BIG-IP ASM addresses other security concerns and enables customers to focus on application deployment.

The BIG-IP 12.1 also includes enhanced capabilities that automatically mitigates L3–7 attacks upstream in the ISP realm, stops evasive application use of random ports, and controls SSH channel user-initiated actions with simple custom policy enforcement with BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM). Whether in an on-premise or software-defined data center (SDDC), BIG-IP AFM mitigates threats compared to traditional network firewalls leveraging more attack details and protects organizations from distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks before they reach the data center. It also provides expanded support for Azure environments, including integrated F5 web application firewall (WAF) capabilities in Azure Security Center, ensuring the same level of services in the cloud as in the data center.

“More information, including sensitive data, is being accessed via applications by users within and outside the corporate network. With the challenge of enforcing security policies across hybrid infrastructure environments, fragmented identities and decentralized applications introduce significant risk for vulnerabilities. A security approach that centers around protecting the network and the devices that are connected to it is no longer enough. Applications and access to those apps are becoming the new perimeter, protecting them and having the ability to detect breaches and respond quickly defines the future state of security,” says Emmanuel Bonnassie, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, F5 Networks.