A veteran of Microsoft’s channel organization, Steve Hale joined F5 in July 2007 and has bolstered F5’s partner training programs in his tenure. He continues to build F5’s Global Partner Network, with a focus on up-to-date web training programs and comprehensive application delivery solutions as opposed to a tactical point product sales approach.

“Successful channel programs and strategies help fuel the booming Solution Provider ecosystem, and each of this year’s Channel Chiefs should be applauded for building and advocating the most successful of those programs and strategies,” said Dan Dignam, VP and Publisher of CMP Channel.

This is the sixth consecutive year that CRN has developed the Channel Chief list. Top Channel Chiefs were chosen based on criteria including policy and program innovations made during the past year, the amount of revenue their company generates through partners, their willingness to speak out publicly on behalf of the channel, and the number of years they have dedicated to channel activities.

“Being named a Channel Chief is a great distinction, and one I share with the entire partner organization at F5,”said Steve Hale. “I’m honored that CMP’s prestigious channel group has listed F5 among the elite. This is a tribute to our commitment to arming partners with the means to succeed by helping them differentiate their offerings and establish satisfied customers.”

About CRN

CRN provides solution providers and technology integrators with the crucial information and analysis they need to drive their company’s sales. As an advocate for, and voice of, the IT channel, solution providers turn to CRN first for immediate information. With nearly 25 years of experience, CRN is the most trusted source for channel professionals. CRN can be found on the web at www.crn.com.

About CMP Channel

CMP Channel is the one-stop shop customers turn to in order to meet their global sales channel objectives, from access to execution. Through use of its print products, which include CRN and VARBusiness, their accompanying websites, the broader ChannelWeb network, the Group's XChange worldwide face-to-face conferences and the Institute for Partner Education & Development (IPED), vendors are able to accelerate sales through the channel. CMP Channel provides a worldwide answer to advertising, branding and marketing services, lead generation, market intelligence, branded and custom events, education of solution providers and best practices for vendors.

About F5 Networks

F5 Networks is the global leader in Application Delivery Networking. F5 provides solutions that make applications secure, fast, and available for everyone. By adding intelligence and manageability into the network to offload applications and optimize the data storage layer, F5 extends the power of intelligent networking to all levels of application delivery. F5’s extensible architecture intelligently integrates application optimization, protects the application and the network, and delivers application reliability. Over 16,000 organizations and service providers worldwide trust F5 to keep their applications running. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices worldwide. For more information, go to www.f5.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future events or future financial performance that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of such terms or comparable terms. These statements are only predictions, and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements based upon a number of factors, including those identified in the company’s filings with the SEC