F5 Offers Tools to Rein in Storage Costs and Broaden Adoption of File Virtualization

SEATTLE, MAY 11, 2009 - F5 Networks, Inc., the global leader in Application Delivery Networking, today announced new software releases for its award-winning ARX file virtualization system and Data Manager storage management solution. The new capabilities in both products enable organizations to better control storage costs, improve capacity utilization and forecasting, and unlock maximum value from their existing file storage assets, all of which are key corporate mandates in today's economy. In addition, F5 announced the new "ARX Fast Start" package available in North America to make it easier and more cost-effective for organizations of all sizes to reap the benefits of file virtualization.

"Our research shows that the economy is definitely impacting IT budgets, with 47 percent of Fortune 1000 organizations interviewed planning to decrease their storage spending," said Robert Stevenson, Managing Director of Storage Research, TheInfoPro. "At the same time, these companies are actively looking for ways to boost storage utilization, which hovers at about 50 percent. Storage pros are indicating that they are turning to products like F5 ARX file virtualization solutions to achieve their cost-cutting objectives and make better use of the technology they already own. We've also seen an increased demand for tools, like Data Manager, that can provide the insight needed for more accurate capacity planning and forecasting."

New ARX Software Simplifies Automated Tiered Storage Deployments Version 5.0 of Data Management Operating System, the common software powering all F5 ARX file virtualization solutions, introduces new features that simplify automated tiered storage deployments and enhance data protection and recovery. Highlights of version 5.0 include:

-- Easier deployment of a virtualized file storage environment with seamless import functionality that gives users continuous access to file data throughout the implementation process

-- Improved data protection capabilities for virtualized storage environments, including a file tracking capability, which dramatically simplifies file restoration from backup media and virtual snapshot capability for Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service-- Support for Microsoft Windows 2008, making it easy for organizations to migrate to the next generation of Windows storage and clients, without user or application downtime

"There are operational and economic benefits to storage tiering, but the challenge for many companies is to find a way to implement tiering in an easy to manage and non-invasive manner," said Dave Russell, Research Vice President at Gartner. "Solutions such as file virtualization help overcome these challenges."

Improves Infrastructure Visibility for Better Storage Utilization and Management Control Data Manager version 2.5 improves storage reporting and forecasting in large file storage environments and introduces new cost savings analysis capabilities to help businesses better understand areas for potential cost reduction in their environment. In addition to providing detailed information such as file age, types of files, and which resources are being consumed, Data Manager 2.5 can project potential cost savings of storage tiering policies based on actual customer data.

"These releases increase the control companies have over their storage, which is especially important in this time of IT belt-tightening," said Nigel Burmeister, Director of Product Marketing at F5. "With F5 ARX and Data Manager, companies can implement automated solutions that optimize their storage infrastructure and free up IT resources. Simply put, we make it possible for IT organizations to squeeze every possible nickel from their existing storage assets."

ARX Fast Start Package Brings Value to Small and Mid-Size Organizations While the benefits of storage tiering have long been recognized in larger environments, F5's newly announced "ARX Fast Start" package will make it cost-effective for small to medium-size companies as well. With this package, customers with storage environments supporting up to 500 users and 800 Mbps in throughput can implement an ARX500 solution for a very competitive price. This is a North America-only promotion, valid through September 30, 2009.To contact an F5 sales representative and learn more, please visit www.f5.com/products/how-to-buy. F5 partners can also learn more about ARX Fast Start by visiting the "North America" section of F5's Partner Resource Center.

Availability

F5 ARX with Data Management Operating System version 5.0 and Data Manager version 2.5 will be available in May 2009. To learn more about F5's file virtualization solutions, check out the F5 Whiteboard Conversations and visit www.f5.com/solutions/virtualization/file.

About F5 Networks

F5 Networks is the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), focused on ensuring the secure, reliable, and fast delivery of applications. F5's flexible architectural framework enables community-driven innovation that helps organizations enhance IT agility and dynamically deliver services that generate true business value. F5's vision of unified application and data delivery offers customers an unprecedented level of choice in how they deploy ADN solutions. It redefines the management of application, server, storage, and network resources, streamlining application delivery and reducing costs. Global enterprise organizations, service and cloud providers, and Web 2.0 content providers trust F5 to keep their business moving forward. For more information, go to www.f5.com.0