Science & Technology
Science and Technology
Science and Technology
Wed, April 13, 2011
F5a?s DevCentral Community Helps Customers Maximize the Value of Application Delivery Networking
SEATTLE--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--[ F5 Networks, Inc. ] (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in Application Delivery Networking, today announced enhancements to its global [ DevCentral ]a" community site, along with new inductees into the communitya™s [ MVP program ]. DevCentral brings together the combined expertise and innovation of customers, partners, and F5 personnel through a social communication platform that includes wikis, groups, code sharing, videos, podcasts, blogs, and discussion forums. Launched in 2003, DevCentral is the most comprehensive and active technical community for the Application Delivery Networking market, providing networking and application development tips, information, code samples, and other resources to help F5 customers and partners get the most from their IT investments.
"There are two main areas where DevCentral is unique"
aThe quality of information and feedback available through DevCentral really sets the site apart,a said Scott Prigge, recent MVP honoree and infrastructure analyst at a leading industrial equipment manufacturer. aThe emphasis that F5 places on DevCentral shows that theya™re committed to providing a forum where customers can interact and gain knowledge from their peers. The sheer number of posts by some of the members is incredible, and given the thoughtful nature of the content, DevCentral is an invaluable resource for any administrator who manages F5 products.a
In 2011, DevCentral has achieved remarkable milestones, including:
- Honoring of new MVPs, recognizing key members of F5a™s customer base for their technical contributions and leadership
- Creation of solution groups that provide valuable content for integrating F5 products with technology from companies like Microsoft, Dell, VMware, Oracle, IBM, and SAP
aF5 Networks continues to stand above the pack in networking with its ongoing investment in the DevCentral community,a said Cindy Borovick, Vice President for Enterprise Communications Infrastructure and Datacenter Networks at [ IDC ]. aThe recent enhancements will further the communitya™s ability to combine innovative, business-centric solutions with network intelligence.a
Details
DevCentral is a community and knowledge repository that evolves based on contributions from customers, partners, and F5 personnel. With the further development of collaboration features, DevCentral now features five distinct types of groups that focus on different aspects of discussion: Industry Knowledge (organized by vertical), [ Technical Topics ], [ Geography Specific User Groups ], [ Partner Solution Groups ], and [ General F5 Topics ] (documentation, career topics, and general feedback).
DevCentral MVPs a" Recognizing the Communitya™s Top Contributors
As a way to highlight some of the communitya™s most active participants worldwide, DevCentral has named ten individuals as new MVPs. These members have been singled out for demonstrating thoughtful community leadership through helping peers, contributing solution articles, and showcasing the innovative ways they are using F5® technology. By making their expertise available to others, DevCentral MVPs enhance the user experience for all community members, and across F5a™s broad product portfolio. As the innovators behind some of DevCentrala™s most helpful resources, MVPs are spotlighted within the community and profiled on the new [ MVP page ].
DevCentral Groups a" Driving Collaboration and Innovation
[ DevCentral groups ] provide meaningful connection points for community members to focus on particular topics. Community leaders can share knowledge and expertise, and all members can ask questions and engage in lively discussions on specific subjects. Enabling community members to connect with one another on technical subjects makes it easier for users to quickly find the specific answers theya™re looking for. By increasing the number of ways users can collaborate, DevCentral also seeks to raise the visibility of key contributors and help identify technical leaders within the community.
The further development of groups and other social networking functionality on DevCentral has also helped prompt focused integration and interoperability efforts around other popular IT solutions, including technologies from Microsoft, Dell, VMware, Oracle, IBM, and SAP, among others. Additionally, solution focused groups provide an ideal platform for [ F5a™s technology partners ] to contribute technical solutions for joint customers.
Additional Quotes
aThe strategic goal of DevCentral is to provide valuable technical resources and peer to peer collaboration opportunities for F5a™s growing community of users,a said Jeff Browning, Sr. Director of Product Management at F5. aAll members have access to the shared knowledge and expertise of the group, and with DevCentrala™s expanding collaboration tools and technical content, individuals at every levela"from new users to MVPsa"can easily get involved. As the market leader in Application Delivery Networking, F5 understands that community is an essential element of our success. Wea™re very fortunate to have a strong group of enthusiastic MVP members, customers, and partners dedicated to sharing their experiences and innovating together.a
aThere are two main areas where DevCentral is unique,a said Chetan Bhatt, Senior Network Engineer at a large entertainment company and DevCentral MVP. aFirst, the community and developers are passionate about F5 technology; ita™s not simply another product to them. Second, members continuously contribute, interact, and publish information more aggressively than anyone else in their industry.In effect, this brings together professionals from different disciplines to cross-pollenate ideas, concepts, and actionable solutions.This collaboration is what powers DevCentral and enhances the value of F5a™s product and service catalogue.a
Supporting Resources
About DevCentral
Composed of more than 70,000 registered users worldwide, DevCentral leverages social web technologies to help enterprises, service providers, channel partners, and other community members get the most from their application delivery environments. DevCentral is the industrya™s most active online community offering practical, real-world solutions that bridge the traditional gap between application developers and network professionals. Free of charge, DevCentral offers tools, techniques, and collaboration opportunities to help the F5 user community create and build solutions with a wide range of F5 integration tools and technologies.
About F5 Networks
F5 Networks is the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), focused on ensuring the secure, reliable, and fast delivery of applications. F5a™s flexible architectural framework enables community-driven innovation that helps organizations enhance IT agility and dynamically deliver services that generate true business value. F5a™s vision of unified application and data delivery offers customers an unprecedented level of choice in how they deploy ADN solutions. It redefines the management of application, server, storage, and network resources, streamlining application delivery and reducing costs. Global enterprise organizations, service and cloud providers, and Web 2.0 content providers trust F5 to keep their business moving forward. For more information, go to [ www.f5.com ].
You can also follow [ @f5networks ] on Twitter or visit us on [ Facebook ] for more information about F5, its partners, and technology. For a complete listing of F5 community sites, please visit [ www.f5.com/news-press-events/web-media/community.html ].
F5 and DevCentral are trademarks or service marks of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future events or future financial performance that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of such terms or comparable terms. These statements are only predictions and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements based upon a number of factors including those identified in the company's filings with the SEC.
