F5 Joins NetApp Alliance Partner Program

F5 Networks Inc. (FFIV) announced that it has joined the NetApp (NTAP) Alliance Partner Program as an Advantage Alliance Partner. F5 is collaborating with NetApp to provide customers with unified application and data delivery solutions to enable more agile and dynamic data centers.

Working together, F5 and NetApp will help customers bridge the gap from traditional to dynamic infrastructures by increasing the flexibility between users and resources.

In addition to outlining a long-term strategy, F5 and NetApp are providing immediate benefits to their joint customers with initial solutions that leverage application delivery and file virtualization to unleash the power of data mobility today, the company said.

With F5 ARX file virtualization solutions, NetApp customers will be able to automatically and transparently move data at will, dramatically reducing migration times and eliminating costly downtime.

F5’s ARX solutions virtualize the file storage environment, removing the static binding between clients and storage resources. Data can move freely – even during business hours – without affecting applications or users, and without requiring client reconfiguration. In addition, the ARX policy-based management capabilities allow IT organizations to create “set and forget” policies to automate data movement, further simplifying management and reducing operational overhead.

“We’re delighted to become part of the Alliance Partner Program,” said Jim Ritchings, vice president of business development at F5. “NetApp and F5 have a large shared customer base that is deriving tremendous value from our solutions, so this solution partnership makes a lot of sense. NetApp is a leader in the enterprise-class NAS market, and F5 has led the way in developing solutions like ARX that create a more dynamic infrastructure and have clear ROI. Our joint solution is very compelling, and by working together we will deliver even more value to customers.”