Distributed Cloud App Delivery & Security Extends to Hybrid Environments

Key Concepts

• Distributed Cloud: A consolidated suite of services from F5 designed to simplify application delivery and security across multi-cloud and on-premise environments.
• Customer Edge (CE): Devices deployed at branch offices and data centers to bring applications closer to users.
• Regional Edge POPs: Points of Presence providing global DDoS protection and universal services.
• Software as a Service (SaaS): The flexibility of SaaS is leveraged to uniformly work in cloud and local environments.
• Centralized Control Plane: A single management interface for controlling and monitoring services across all environments.
• Origin Pool: A group of application instances to which traffic is distributed.
• WAF (Web Application Firewall): A security feature protecting web applications from attacks.
• Layer 7 DDoS Protection: Protection against Distributed Denial of Service attacks at the application layer.

Addressing Complexity in Modern Deployments

The video addresses the reality that despite the promise of simplification, public clouds haven’t fully solved enterprise IT challenges. Currently, 9 out of 10 enterprises experience more complex deployments than anticipated. F5 Distributed Cloud is presented as a solution to this complexity, offering flexibility through a Software as a Service (SaaS) model that operates consistently across both cloud and on-premise environments. This contrasts with piecemeal solutions requiring integration of disparate “features or widgets” to create a functional data plane.

Distributed Cloud Architecture & Components

F5 Distributed Cloud utilizes a tiered architecture. Customer Edge (CE) devices are deployed at branch offices and data centers, bringing applications closer to users and providing a secure perimeter in DMZs. These are complemented by Regional Edge POPs which deliver uniform global Denial of Service (DDoS) protection and universal services, including end-to-end private connectivity via F5’s global private network. A key element is the centralized control plane and associated SaaS console, enabling uniform security policies and simplified monitoring of infrastructure, both on-premise and in the cloud. This centralized management is intended to save organizations time and resources in management and operations.

Application Deployment & Scaling Example: Juice Shop

A practical example is provided using an application called “Juice Shop.” Initially deployed on VMware, the application requires rapid scaling to meet company-wide demand. The company’s existing VMware infrastructure lacks the capacity to handle the increased load. Distributed Cloud facilitates cloning the application to additional platforms – other branch offices and a backup location in Azure.

The process involves deploying Distributed Cloud CEs to each new platform, maintaining a consistent footprint with both inside and outside interfaces. This isolates and consolidates network traffic, enhancing security. Connectivity is then securely extended by establishing an origin pool for each application instance and cloning the original HTTP load balancer. This clone inherits uniform security policies, including Web Application Firewall (WAF) functionality, configurable bot and API protection, and Layer 7 DDoS protection.

Monitoring & Visibility

The Distributed Cloud platform provides comprehensive monitoring capabilities. The performance overview dashboard displays the load and health of newly added ingress points. Detailed traffic graphs illustrate traffic flow to each destination CE, allowing operators to identify traffic patterns and irregularities in real-time. Integrated tooltips provide granular details, including application health and Layer 4 and Layer 7 metrics. The security dashboard offers threat and attack details, presenting both aggregate and individual views for each load balancer.

Cost Savings & Efficiency

The video highlights cost savings achieved through improved efficiency and the elimination of redundant policies. Organizations are often forced to use different products and configurations in different environments, leading to increased complexity and expense. Distributed Cloud’s uniform approach streamlines operations and reduces these costs.

Resources & Further Information

A detailed article explaining the setup demonstrated in the video is available on the F5 Dev Central community. A workflow guide with all the steps used in the demo is accessible on GitHub. Further information about the F5 application delivery and security platform can be found at f5.com/adsp.

Conclusion

F5 Distributed Cloud offers a consolidated approach to application delivery and security, addressing the complexities of modern multi-cloud and on-premise deployments. By providing a centralized control plane, uniform security policies, and the ability to scale and deliver applications consistently across diverse platforms, it aims to simplify operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs for organizations. The Juice Shop example demonstrates a practical application of the platform’s capabilities in a real-world scaling scenario.