F5 rSeries: The Future of High-Performance Application Delivery

A New Era for Application Delivery

As enterprises continue their digital transformation journeys, the demand for high-performance, secure, and scalable application delivery has never been greater. F5 has long been a leader in this space, and with the introduction of the rSeries, they have redefined what is possible in modern application delivery and security. At WWT, we have extensively tested the F5 rSeries platform, and we can confidently say that it is a game-changer. Designed to provide a modern approach to improve upon iSeries, the rSeries combines cutting-edge technology with an API-first approach, multi-tenancy, and seamless cloud integration, making it the ideal solution for enterprises looking to future-proof their infrastructure.

Built for Performance, Engineered for the Future

The F5 rSeries is more than just an upgrade—it is a complete reimagining of how application traffic is managed. Unlike traditional load balancers, which focused on basic traffic distribution, the rSeries provides intelligent traffic management that operates across the application, network, and transport layers. This ensures optimized performance, reduced latency, and improved security posture for organizations of all sizes.

One of the most significant shifts in the rSeries is its transition from the legacy TMOS operating system to F5OS, a modern, container-based architecture. This move allows F5 to leverage technologies such as Red Hat's OpenShift and Kubernetes, enabling rSeries appliances to support both kubevirt versions of classic BIG-IP and F5's forthcoming BIG-IP Next. F5OS is built on a Kubernetes-based architecture, allowing for greater scalability, resilience, and efficiency. By leveraging Kubernetes, F5OS ensures containerized workloads can be orchestrated efficiently while providing a consistent, cloud-native operational model across environments. This architectural shift is a massive leap forward, ensuring that customers can seamlessly transition to the future of application delivery without disruption.

Inherent Multi-Tenancy: A Smarter Way to Scale

Traditional multi-tenancy approaches often required complex configurations or additional software layers, such as vCMP in previous F5 platforms. With rSeries and F5OS, multi-tenancy is built-in, offering a more streamlined and efficient way to allocate resources. Each tenant operates within its own isolated container, providing enhanced security, greater operational flexibility, and simplified management. This inherent multi-tenancy allows organizations to better segment their workloads, optimize resource utilization, and scale dynamically as business needs evolve.

API-First Design: Enabling Automation and Orchestration

In today's fast-paced digital world, automation is no longer a luxury—it's a necessity. The rSeries is designed with an API-first approach, allowing enterprises to automate deployment, management, and security tasks with ease. This means organizations can integrate rSeries appliances seamlessly into their existing DevOps and NetOps workflows using industry-standard tools like Ansible, Terraform, and other automation frameworks. With its modular architecture, rSeries enables customers to customize functionality based on their unique requirements, reducing complexity while enhancing agility.

Security at the Core

As cyber threats continue to evolve, organizations require robust security measures that do not compromise performance. The rSeries delivers next-generation security with built-in advanced web application and API protection, DDoS mitigation, and AI-powered threat detection. This ensures that enterprises can maintain a strong security posture while delivering exceptional user experiences. With the explosion of APIs and the rise of AI-driven attacks, having an intelligent, high-performance security solution like the rSeries is critical for any modern enterprise.

Licensing

F5 rSeries appliances provide a highly flexible licensing framework designed to accommodate a wide range of deployment and scalability requirements. Organizations can opt for Perpetual Licensing, which offers a fixed-capacity, one-time purchase model, delivering predictable cost structures and long-term asset ownership. Alternatively, the Pay-As-You-Grow (PAYG) Licensing model enables incremental scaling of performance and capacity, allowing enterprises to optimize infrastructure investments in alignment with evolving application demands. This consumption-based approach ensures operational agility, minimizing upfront expenditures while supporting dynamic growth. With both licensing models, rSeries delivers an adaptable and future-ready application delivery infrastructure.

Migration Options to rSeries

Migrating from legacy F5 platforms, such as the iSeries, Viprion, and classic BIG-IP appliances running TMOS, to the rSeries is a seamless process with several options tailored to enterprise needs. Customers can leverage F5's Migration Assistant, which provides step-by-step guidance to transition configurations, policies, and security settings. Additionally, F5 offers professional migration services to ensure minimal downtime and a smooth transition. The rSeries supports backward compatibility with existing BIG-IP configurations, allowing organizations to transition workloads gradually while taking advantage of new capabilities.

F5 and WWT can provide the necessary expertise to ensure a successful upgrade. WWT also offers comprehensive migration services, helping customers develop tailored strategies to move to the rSeries with minimal disruption.

A Seamless Path to the Future

At WWT, we have worked and tested the rSeries hardware, F5OS software, and full BIG-IP functionality. The results? rSeries not only meets but exceeds published performance metrics, delivering exceptional reliability and scalability. The flexibility of its built-in multi-tenancy and its ability to seamlessly transition to BIG-IP Next make it a future-ready solution for enterprises.

For customers who require dedicated hardware to support mission-critical workloads, the rSeries provides an unparalleled combination of performance, security, and flexibility. When paired with F5's Flexible Consumption Program (FCP), organizations can optimize their investment today while ensuring they are ready for tomorrow's multicloud environments.

Why Choose rSeries?

At WWT, we stand by the rSeries as the ideal solution for enterprises looking to modernize their application delivery infrastructure. The rSeries represents the next evolution in application delivery and security. With its API-driven automation, advanced multi-tenancy, and robust security capabilities, rSeries is designed to support enterprises as they navigate the complexities of modern IT environments. Whether deployed in corporate data centers, hybrid clouds, or at the edge, rSeries empowers organizations to maintain optimal performance, security, and agility.

If you are considering the rSeries for your organization, reach out to our team to learn more about how it can help you achieve your IT and business goals.