Having room to grow is a key consideration for shoppers -- whether you’re in the market for back-to-school clothes for growing kids or a new application delivery platform.

Yesterday, F5 Networks unveiled its new Big-IP 3900 platform, which is designed to let midsize enterprises deploy application services as needed. The new system supports multiple software modules on a single device at a lower price point than previous models, F5 says, so midsize companies can yield a greater ROI. It unifies traffic management, Web application firewall security, and application acceleration, for example, and customers can add functionality as their deployment requirements grow.

F5 beats estimates

In terms of form factor, the Big-IP 3900 is the first 1U application delivery controller platform from F5 that supports multiple product modules -- so no huge chassis required. The new platform supports F5’s Big-IP Local Traffic Manager, Global Traffic Manager, Application Security Manager, WebAccelerator and Link Controller. By consolidating these software modules on a single device, companies can reduce power, space, and cooling costs, F5 says.

According to F5, the Big-IP 3900 is a good entry point for companies that want to consolidate application traffic management, security and optimization services, but “do not have high throughput demands that would require a more substantial hardware investment.”

The Big-IP 3900 comes standard with F5’s Fast Cache technology, IPv6 gateway, rate shaping, SSL offload, and compression functionality. Available beginning this month, the Big-IP 3900 with Local Traffic Manager has a list price of $39,995.

“F5's flexible ADC deployment options enable organizations to implement a consolidated system that supports their unique business goals and service requirements, and provides a seamless path for adding more sophisticated services as companies' application delivery needs evolve,” said Jon Oltsik, principal analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, in a prepared statement.

“Every business has different needs when it comes to application delivery,” said Jason Needham, senior director of product management at F5, in a statement. “Over the last year, F5 has refreshed its full range of Big-IP hardware offerings to give our customers more options in choosing a platform that provides the performance needed for their business at a low price point.”

Ann Bednarz is associate news editor at Network World.