posted on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 7:42 AM
On Monday, November 16th, F5 announced a partnership and OEM agreement with Quova, Inc, providers of IP geolocation data. IP geolocation is technology that allows physical location information to be extrapolated from an end-user’s IP address. For example, geolocation data can be used to identify if a user is accessing a website from North America. Where Quova technology differs from standard geolocation data is the granularity of information they provide. One of the challenges of using geolocation is the accuracy of the information and the ability to use that information to reliable make network and application decisions. Not only is Quova able to determine if a user is accessing a site from North America, but also what state, what city, from what provider, at what speed, and even the level of confidence on the accuracy of the data.
The integration of Quova’s IP geolocation data with F5 BIG-IP appliances will allow contextual decisions based on geographic location to be applied to application delivery: who, what, when, where, why, and how the application is delivered to an end user. BIG-IP has long been able to changed the context of how an application is delivered based on user and network details and now Quova allows BIG-IP to add IP geolocation to the context criteria list with unprecedented granularity and control.
The F5 and Quova integrated solution allows IT departments to solve a suite of problems related to managing application delivery based on IP address, ranging from security issues – such as disallowing access to an application based on the source of the request – to customizing an application for a particular region by localizing the content or delivering local information targeted a particular region. Through BIG-IP, Quova geolocation data can be applied at any portion of the application delivery lifecycle from the first request to securing the connection through delivering an optimized application end-user experience. Quova’s IP geolocation information allows BIG-IP to extend the context of application delivery to include regional location information, giving IT departments yet more control of when, where, and how they deliver enterprise applications.
Quova’s advanced IP geolocation services will be available as an integrated component of F5’s upcoming BIG-IP v10.1 release.
Related Resources:
