F5 Networks announced on Thursday that it has acquired cloud-based security provider Defense.Net for an undisclosed sum.
The company was was founded by Barrett Lyon, an early pioneer in DDoS mitigation more than 10 years as founder of Prolexic, a DDoS protection firm recently acquired by Akamai Technologies for $370 million in cash.
Defense.Net is focused on protecting data centers and Internet applications from distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. According to F5, Defense.Net’s cloud service compliments F5’s on-premise DDoS protection capabilities.
“F5’s objective is to help protect customers from ever-changing security threats before they impact their businesses,” said Manny Rivelo, executive vice president of strategic solutions at F5, in a statement. “Customers ultimately want a unified solution that seamlessly blocks DDoS attacks at the appropriate network location for the type of threat posed. The appeal of a hybrid F5 solution is that it combines the best of on-premises and cloud-based protection. The highly respected team of security experts from Defense.Net is a welcomed addition to F5.”
IDC analyst John Grady said sophisticated DDoS attacks combine high volume traffic-clogging with stealthy low and slow application-targeted techniques.
“These hybrid attacks will increasingly cause serious disruption for organizations,” Grady said in a statement. “A defense-in-depth strategy for DDoS takes a combined approach that incorporates on-premises appliances for detecting and mitigating mid-volume, SSL, or application-targeted attacks, while a cloud scrubbing facility stops the volumetric attacks that are dozens of gigabits in bandwidth from even reaching the enterprise network.”
“F5’s DDoS product engineering shows a comparable focus on scale and performance to howDefense.Net has built its mitigation capability in the cloud,” Lyon said a statement. “Customers of all sizes will be able to ensure that business-critical applications and networks are protected and available under the most demanding conditions regardless of the volume, type, or source of DDoS attack. Wherever it makes the most sense to stop an attack, F5 will provide the customer with the right defense.”
See SecurityWeek’s previous Interview with Defense.Net founder Barrett Lyon.
*Additional reporting by Mike Lennon