F5 Networks Value Stock - Dividend - Research Selection

F5 Networks is the leading developer and provider of software defined application services designed to ensure that applications delivered over Internet Protocol (IP) networks are secure, fast and available to any user, anywhere, anytime, on any device. Our core technology is a full-proxy, programmable, massively-scalable software platform called TMOS (Traffic Management Operating System).

Introduced in 2004, the TMOS platform supports the industry’s broadest array of application services, including local and global traffic management, network and application security, access management, web acceleration and a number of other network and application services. These services are available as software modules that can run individually or as part of an integrated solution on our high-performance, scalable, purpose-built BIG-IP appliances and chassis-based VIPRION systems; or as software-only Virtual Editions that run on major hypervisors in public and private clouds. Our cloud-based Silverline software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings allow customers to subscribe to online denial-of-service protection and application security services. In conjunction with our BIG-IQ management software, the availability of our application services as software on our purpose-built hardware, software-only and Silverline subscription services gives customers the flexibility to create a dynamic hybrid infrastructure with consistent policies and centralized management across public and private clouds as well as traditional data centers.

The core features and functions of TMOS enable our products to inspect and modify the content of IP traffic flows at network speeds and sessions between users and applications and support a broad and growing array of services. iRules, a built-in scripting language, enables customers and third parties to write customized rules to inspect and modify traffic. TMOS also has an open software interface called iControl, which allows our products to communicate with one another and with third-party products; a set of powerful features called iApps that speed deployment of our services and give users an application-centric view of how applications are managed and delivered; and a scripting framework called iCall that lets users configure their F5 devices inline.

The majority of our revenue today is derived from sales of BIG-IP and VIPRION products. Our hardware products include our BIG-IP family of appliances and our scalable VIPRION systems, and a new line of security appliances. These purpose-built devices integrate industry-standard components, such as Intel based general-purpose processors, high performance cryptographic offload components, and FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays). The architecture of these systems is designed to accelerate and optimize the performance of our software by offloading repetitive, compute-intensive functions such as encryption and compression to specific components, and enabling complex application-layer processing at network speed. Typically deployed in front of web and application servers, our hardware products deliver massive performance and scalability that enable customers to consolidate multiple application services on a single device. This consolidation reduces their total cost of ownership and helps drive down operating costs by simplifying the management of servers and applications.

As information technology architecture continues to evolve, there is growing demand for software-only application services that can be deployed in virtual environments next to each instance of an application. Our Virtual Edition (VE) products are software-only versions of the same application delivery services we sell as modules on our purpose-built hardware. Designed to run on all standard hypervisors, they are portable across major cloud environments, deliver faster throughput than competing products, and offer the broadest array of integrated application services available. While VEs have lower performance than our hardware-based solutions, they give customers the flexibility to deploy a mix of integrated application services as needed, spin them up and down with each instance of an application, and move them easily between traditional data centers and private or public clouds.

Whether they are deployed as VEs or as modules on our purpose-built hardware, all of our application delivery services can be centrally managed from our BIG-IQ management platform.

In addition to our VEs and hardware-based solutions, our cloud-based Silverline SaaS platform gives customers the option to subscribe to enterprise-grade application delivery services available online. Current Silverline services include DDoS protection and application security. Subscriptions include 24/7 access to our Security Operations Center (SOC) support teams.

Our products also include our Traffix solutions for Diameter signaling and routing, load balancing and gateway connectivity, designed to enable service providers to meet the multiple challenges associated with the growth of mobile data.

In connection with our products, we offer a broad range of services including consulting, training, installation, maintenance and other technical support services.

F5 Networks was incorporated on February 26, 1996 in the State of Washington. Our headquarters is in Seattle, Washington, and our mailing address is 401 Elliott Avenue West, Seattle, Washington 98119. The telephone number at our executive offices is (206) 272-5555. We have subsidiaries or branch offices in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports are available free of charge on our website, www.f5.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings may also be obtained by visiting the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549, or by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that contains current, quarterly and annual reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically.