F5 Networks and VMware Help BlueLock Launch Unique Virtual Cloud Computing Platform
Provider of On-Demand Hosting and Recovery Services Uses BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager to Deliver Cost-Efficient and Scalable Virtual IT Environments
VMWorld 2008
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in Application Delivery Networking, today announced that BlueLock, LLC is using the F5® BIG-IP® Local Traffic Manager™ (LTM™) solution with VMware virtualization solutions to provide clients with its unique virtual cloud computing platform. Using an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) model, virtual cloud computing enables BlueLock’s clients to rapidly scale their IT infrastructure as business needs fluctuate, while also scaling the associated costs.
With virtual cloud computing, BlueLock delivers pre-configured, virtual IT environments that are secure, resilient, and scalable on-demand. Clients pay a monthly fee for the infrastructure they use plus a retainer for reserve capacity. When a client’s load increases, the virtual machines in reserve are seamlessly added to the client’s pool and the client is charged according to utilization. As needs decrease, virtual machines are removed and the client no longer incurs the expense of the additional capacity.
“To meet our clients’ business requirements with on-demand provisioning, we need to be able to scale up and scale down very quickly with no disruptions. The architecture we’ve built using VMware and F5’s BIG-IP LTM enables us do that,” said John Qualls, BlueLock President and CEO.
BlueLock chose BIG-IP LTM to provide load balancing and SSL offload for its entire virtualized infrastructure. In addition, BIG-IP LTM collects usage and traffic data that is essential to BlueLock’s provisioning algorithms. This data also provides detailed visibility into each client’s current network, systems, and capacity utilization, which is shared through BlueLock’s Vital Signs client portal.
To achieve high availability in a traditional IT environment, companies typically purchase the infrastructure required to handle the highest potential load they might reach at any time, and then pay ongoing operating expenses to maintain the infrastructure. With the BlueLock virtual cloud, clients avoid the time and expense involved in typical purchase-and-deploy scenarios and simply pay as they go.
“Our goal is to remove the capital expense and procurement headaches of the IT infrastructure for our clients,” said Pat O’Day, Chief Technology Officer at BlueLock. “BIG-IP LTM helps us maximize the efficiency of our successful IaaS model. The virtual cloud computing environment enables us to pass those efficiencies along to our clients while ensuring the high performance and availability that is critical to their applications.”
“Virtualization allows organizations to cut costs, improve efficiency, and increase essential infrastructure agility, but it also brings complexities—including scale and management concerns—that impact the surrounding IT infrastructure,” said Jim Ritchings, VP of Business Development at F5. “Working in concert with virtual machines, the F5 BIG-IP solutions enable service providers like BlueLock to ensure optimized application delivery to their users. And as a Select Partner in VMware’s Technology Alliance Partnership (TAP) Program, F5 continues to collaborate with VMware to help BlueLock and other cloud computing-focused organizations maximize the value of their virtualization investments.” |
