Microsoft Corp. and F5 Networks Inc. today announced an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement in which F5 will incorporate the Microsoft� System Center Operations Manager 2007 end-to-end service management solution into its own F5 management appliance. The F5 product, called ControlPoint, will collect, analyze and report data from F5�s broad portfolio of application optimization, availability and security devices.

�F5�s goal is to help our customers proactively manage their increasingly dynamic application environment by giving them a way to gain deeper insights into this vital part of their network operations,� said Dan Matte, senior vice president of marketing at F5. �We�re building on our solid partnership with Microsoft to help us achieve this goal. Along with its flexible architecture and ease of use, the Microsoft System Center Operations Manager software can manage devices like F5�s that are not Windows�-based. It�s also proven in more than 12,000 customer deployments worldwide, with many of the world�s largest enterprises among them.�

The agreement with F5 is the first time Microsoft has granted an OEM license to create a management appliance using Microsoft System Center Operations Manager. �IT and business professionals continue to deal with an ever increasing number of devices, services, changes and demands in the business environment,� said Larry Orecklin, general manager of System Center Marketing at Microsoft. �F5�s market leadership in application delivery networking and its customer-first philosophy is fully aligned with our end-to-end service management solutions that help companies manage the growing complexity in their networks and delivery of services, yet stay agile and keep costs under control. The ControlPoint platform will strategically extend Microsoft�s solutions, especially in helping to deliver these end-to-end IT services.�