infoTECH Feature

February 26, 2014

F5 Synthesis Architecture Offers Support for Thales e-Security's Hardware Security Modules

Thales (News - Alert) e-Security recently announced that the Thales nShield hardware security modules (HSM) will be supported by F5 Synthesis’ High Performance Services Fabric, within the BIG-IP Application Delivery Controller (ADC (News - Alert)). Thales e-Security is a leading global provider of data encryption and cyber security solutions.

“Organizations looking to deploy applications in the cloud are often impeded by corporate requirements around security, compliance and performance,” said Siva Mandalam, senior director of product management at F5 Networks (News - Alert). “With the F5 Synthesis architecture, application services can be deployed in cloud environments and managed centrally alongside services deployed in the data center, enabling consistent deployment and enforcement of the policies governing security and performance. F5’s support for the Thales nShield HSMs provides the highest level of physical protection for cryptographic keys, enabling organizations to establish and prove compliance with the latest government legislation and security frameworks.”

The latest integration will enable F5 customers to optimize best-in-class cryptographic hardware protection and key management, add a further layer of security for their SSL keys, comply with corporate security requirements, encrypt their network and application traffic, as well as reduce their operational risk, the company said.

“As organizations increasingly rely on cryptography as part of their data protection strategy and to protect their application delivery systems, the trustworthiness of these crypto systems becomes paramount,” said Richard Moulds, vice president of strategy at Thales e-Security. “This is particularly relevant in light of recent concerns over back doors, poorly implemented crypto systems, out of date algorithms, weak key management systems and the increasing burdens arising from privacy mandates. F5 BIG-IP products have leveraged Thales hardware security and key management technology for many years.”

The critical benefits of the new integration include strong isolation of key material and crypto processes from the host environment; certified anti-tamper techniques such as cryptographic key generation and management, integrating seamlessly with F5 BIG-IP ADC for physical protection; robust authentication for administrators reducing operational risk; and powerfully segregated administration domains.


Edited by Rory J. Thompson
FOLLOW US

Subscribe to InfoTECH Spotlight eNews

InfoTECH Spotlight eNews delivers the latest news impacting technology in the IT industry each week. Sign up to receive FREE breaking news today!
FREE eNewsletter

infoTECH Whitepapers