F5 Adds Policy Enforcement to BIG-IP

F5 Networks is adding policy enforcement capabilities to its BIG-IP traffic steering and load balancing platform, allowing service providers to convert the BIG-IP's deep visibility into network conditions and subscriber behavior into optimized services.

F5's new BIF-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) software can classify traffic and enforce policy based on applications and subscriber behavior.  BIG-IP PEM also provides granular reports on subscriber and application flows, and it integrates with online charging subsystems, giving operators real-time credit control.  The software is interoperable with third-party Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) vendors and is compliant with the latest 3GPP standards for a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF).

BIG-IP PEM is designed to run on VIPRION, F5’s high-performance, chassis-based hardware platform. When run on F5’s latest VIPRION C4800 offering, BIG-IP PEM enables service providers to achieve up to 320 gigabits per second L7 throughput, support up to 72 million concurrent connections, and serve as many as 96 million subscribers on a single device.

F5 said its Policy Enforcement Manager also provides the ability to provision and de-provision value-added servers based on real-time subscriber and network traffic conditions.

The BIG-IP PEM adds to the F5’s intelligent services framework. Other recent enhancements to the platform include BIG-IP Carrier-Grade NAT and BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager. All of these capabilities are now available.

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