F5 Leads SSL Acceleration Market

SEATTLE -- F5 Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:FFIV), the leading provider of Internet traffic and content management (iTCM) products, today announced that the company continues to hold its No. 1 position for worldwide market share for SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) acceleration hardware.

Infonetics Research(1) reported that F5 is the clear leader in the category of multi-purpose devices with SSL hardware acceleration in the second half 2001, with 74% revenue market share and 57% unit market share. The bi-annual Infonetics SSL Acceleration Hardware report tracks and forecasts worldwide server peripheral cards, dedicated SSL appliances, and multi-purpose devices with hardware-based SSL capabilities.

For the multi-purpose SSL acceleration hardware market, revenue grew 93% and unit shipments grew 29% between 1H 2001 and 2H 2001, in line with Infonetics' forecast of 80% revenue growth and 31% unit growth. "Early on F5 had anticipated customers' business-critical SSL needs by integrating SSL acceleration into their BIG-IP(R) Application Switches, putting F5 in an enviable market position," said Neil Osipuk, Directing Analyst at Infonetics Research. "Their recent move of adding a FIPS 140-1 Level 3 certified SSL accelerator as an integrated option of their Internet traffic management solutions is an example of how F5 has expanded their SSL acceleration offering to help customers deploy highly secure web services."

F5 Networks Inc. Infonetics Research Inc.