Fujitsu-Siemens Computers Selects F5 Networks As Traffic Management Solution of Choice for Its New Blade Server Platform

Business Wire, March 14, 2002

Business Editors

CeBIT 2002

SEATTLE & HANOVER, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2002

F5's BIG-IP(R) software ensures high availability

and optimizes performance of applications and services

running on Fujitsu Siemens Computers' PRIMERGY Blade Server

F5 Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:FFIV), the leading provider of Internet Traffic and Content Management (iTCM) products, and Fujitsu-Siemens Computers, the leading European computer company, today announced a partnership whereby Fujitsu Siemens Computers has selected F5's BIG-IP(R) software to run on its new Intel-based PRIMERGY Blade Server.

BIG-IP will run on a PRIMERGY blade providing intelligent traffic management and load balancing functionality across web servers, caches, firewalls, and other services and applications running inside the PRIMERGY Blade Server. F5 is one of six strategic partners participating in Fujitsu Siemens Computers's PRIMERGY Blade Server launch at CeBIT in Hanover, Germany today.

"With the new PRIMERGY Blade Server BX300, Fujitsu Siemens Computers delivers a technology platform superbly suited to accommodate customers' increasing requirements for the highest density, lowest power consumption, and greatest scalability for front-end IT infrastructures," said Dr. Joseph Reger, Chief Technology Officer at Fujitsu Siemens Computers. "Due to their excellent track record and superior solutions in traffic management, we chose F5 Networks to implement the traffic management and load balancing functionality for our blade servers."

BIG-IP will be a fully integrated, plug-n-play component of the PRIMERGY Blade Server, giving enterprises the option to easily incorporate F5's industry-leading solution for Layer 4-7 traffic management. Customers will benefit through BIG-IP's ability to cost-effectively and seamlessly scale server and network capacities, and simplify overall management by enabling administrators to view all blades within the chassis as a single site or device. Fujitsu Siemens Computers has future plans to leverage F5's iControl(TM) API (application programming interface), which is part of BIG-IP and will add further value to the overall solution by making it possible for applications to directly interoperate with the network's traffic management infrastructure.

"We're excited about our partnership with Fujitsu-Siemens Computers and pleased to be one of several strategic PRIMERGY Blade Server partners participating in their announcement today," said Tom Pettigrew, vice-president of channel and OEM sales at F5 Networks. "F5's advanced traffic management solution, BIG-IP, is ideally suited for Fujitsu Siemens Computers' new blade server and delivers critical functionality for successful server deployments. BIG-IP running on the PRIMERGY high-density blade server offers enterprises the key to lowering the total cost of ownership in their data centers."

The F5 partnership and the PRIMERGY blade server announcement is part of Fujitsu Siemens Computers' Business Critical Computing (BCC) strategy, which is focused on delivering extremely reliable and secure computing infrastructures. Blade servers-- the next evolution of rack mounted servers-- offer a fully integrated server on the smallest possible footprint. Fujitsu Siemens Computers' PRIMERGY blade server fulfils the requirements of enterprise data centers and service providers, offering:

-- Reduced rack space, lowering cost for data center space

-- Reduced energy costs

-- Shortened installation efforts due to automatic deployment of software (ease
of provisioning)

-- Lower service costs due to hot-plug and redundant everything

-- Simplified administration efforts

Availability

Fujitsu Siemens Computers's PRIMERGY Blade Server BX300 and F5's BIG-IP software optimized for the PRIMERGY Blade Server will be available by the end of the first half of 2002.

About Fujitsu Siemens Computers:

Fujitsu Siemens Computers is the leading European computer company. Serving the needs of large corporations, small- to medium-sized enterprises and consumers the company operates in all key markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It offers a unique choice of world-class computer technology and innovative IT infrastructure solutions. Embedded in a global cooperation, Fujitsu Siemens Computers takes advantage of the strengths and the innovative power of its parent companies Fujitsu Limited and Siemens AG.

"Powering the Information Age" is the company's vision. Fujitsu Siemens Computers will enable people to freely access information and services anywhere and at any time with world-leading products, services and solutions, thus ensuring people's success within a knowledge-based society. The strategic direction is focused on Mobility and Business Critical Computing as the key drivers of the Information Age in the 21st century.

The company offers everything for enterprise computing, ranging from best-in-class Intel- and Unix-based servers to mainframes and enterprise storage solutions. It is also one of the leading providers of notebooks, PDAs, workstations and PCs to business customers, and is the No. 1 supplier of computers for home users in Europe. For further information, please visit: www.fujitsu-siemens.com