Jeff Browning

Back in 2001 (wow – seems like yesterday!), F5 introduced the first-ever, open/Web services API for network devices called iControl. With it, it sparked a major shift in the way companies could look at integrating network devices with applications. Leading software vendors figured it out. And, thousands of companies since then have used iControl to build custom monitoring apps, management solutions that more closely fit their internal processes, and even automate some cool stuff including enabling applications to tell the network how to deliver them. While all fine and dandy (and fun to be a part of personally), the most important decision and event was the willingness to embrace SOAP/XML. By doing this (kudos to Joe Pruitt, BTW, for this call… it wasn’t without some feisty internal debate, truth be told), it opened up API access to our gear from virtually any SOAP... (more)

The Key to Success with Web Services

Web services provide a way to allow efficient communication between disparate services. For years, enterprises have struggled to find reliable, cost-effective ways to integrate and automate critical processes between different application packages. Web services technology has the potential to answer an enterprise's needs, providing the ability to integrate different systems and application types regardless of platform, operating system, or location. The key to the success of Web services is the use of a common data exchange standard such as XML. Through the use of this common la... (more)

Fresh Video and News About DevCentral-China Launch Event

For those not able to tune in to our live launch event at DevCentral this week, here is a great video to watch. It features F5’s Dan Matte, Johnson Chen, and Fred Wu presenting at the local China launch event for DevCentral-China in Shanghai. You can watch it at Network Chinabyte here! Here is another article from China’s IT168 that includes some great pics. Technorati Tags: f5, devcentral, china, chinabyte, shanghai, jeff browning ... (more)

Easing the Pain of Enterprise Application Deployment

To provide the best application performance, reliability, scalability, and security for J2EE applications, many large organizations utilize network load-balancing appliances and application switches. However, coordinating the deployment of applications between application developers and network managers can be a slow, painstaking process for companies choosing the many advantages of the network-based, load-balancing switches. By developing an application to manage the time-consuming coordination between these two teams, developers can self-serve their needs more quickly, network... (more)

Secure Web Services

Businesses need to provide their users with a method for securely connecting to their networks while minimizing the costs associated with providing this service - and also providing end users with as much convenience as possible. As businesses embrace Web services as the method for delivering their applications, they are struggling with security issues. Network World recently reported that the top worry for IT executives deploying Web services is security. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) can provide a viable alternative to Virtual Private Networking (VPN) companies for securing Web ser... (more)