Businesses must keep their applications and web services online and in a highly performing state 24/7. This is true for external client-facing services and internal business systems used by staff, B2B partners, and businesses in the supply chain. Beyond availability and general performance, applications must also be able to respond to changing demands and traffic patterns.
Load balancers are integral to delivering the uptime, performance, and adaptability that businesses need. While acknowledging the movement towards virtualization, the cloud, and microservices over the last decade, it’s beneficial for anyone designing and deploying application delivery infrastructure to know that hardware-based load balancers are still available and the right choice for many deployments.
Progress remains a global leader in load-balancing across all deployment models, including dedicated hardware. With over 100,000 deployments worldwide across all deployment types, a 4.9/5 rating on Gartner Peer Insights and 4.7/5 on the G2 business technology and software review platform.
These high ratings that are consistent over time show that the Progress Kemp LoadMaster load balancing solution is an industry leader for application delivery that provides reliability, market-leading support, innovations and another pillar in the cybersecurity strategy of organizations that adopt and deploy the solution.
Progress Kemp LoadMaster load balancing solutions’ consistently high ratings make it an industry leader in application delivery. Reviews point out the solution’s reliability, user-focused support, innovations and role as another pillar in an organization’s cybersecurity strategy.
This is true for the hardware versions of LoadMaster as well. Indeed, for some TLS/SSL-related encryption functionality, selected models of LoadMaster appliances include dedicated hardware to accelerate TLS/SSL operations.
What is LoadMaster Load Balancing Hardware?
Kemp LoadMaster hardware load balancers are dedicated rack-mountable, purpose-built server-grade appliances that provide an advanced, high-performance load balancing and application delivery solution with TLS/SSL offload, content switching, URL rewriting and compression in a secure and highly available platform that is easily deployed and managed.
We have designed and built our LoadMaster appliances to optimize the routing and delivery of incoming and outgoing network traffic more efficiently. They are ideal for scenarios where it’s critical to have fast session routing. Each LoadMaster appliance supports thousands of connections and provides gigabit throughput for high-performance access.
As the hardware devices use the same LoadMaster code base that is common across all versions of the platform, they have the same feature set as the software versions and deliver a consistent application delivery experience across changing network conditions, server loads or planned and unplanned application server downtime. They provide advanced Layer 4 and Layer 7 load balancing, robust network security tools including a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and SSL offloading.
Key Features of Kemp LoadMaster Load Balancers
As mentioned previously, the hardware appliance versions of Kemp LoadMaster use the same core LoadMaster operating system and have the same in-depth feature set as the rest of the LoadMaster product family. You can download a data sheet for the hardware LoadMaster family from our Resources page. Here is a direct link to the 250 KB PDF. You can see the current hardware appliance family on this dedicated landing page.
Here is a summary of the key features of the hardware appliance family.
Advanced Application Delivery Capabilities - All Kemp LoadMaster versions deliver sophisticated application delivery via content switching, URL rewriting, and intelligent traffic routing using a broad selection of algorithms.
High Availability – LoadMaster load balancers help deliver high availability for applications and web services via active-passive clustering and server health checking of application and web servers in real-time. The LoadMaster solution detects application and web server downtime or performance issues and automatically routes access requests to other servers.
Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) - Enterprise licenses enable the core GSLB functionality in the LoadMaster software (no additional installation is required). Global Server Load Balancing provides multi-data center and multi-cloud resilience by routing traffic across geographically distributed server locations. When deployed across multiple data centers, GSLB provides application load balancing at a geographic scale, across town or the globe, using any mix of hardware, virtual and cloud platforms.
Security Features – The LoadMaster solution includes multiple features that enhance an organization’s security posture. We detail this topic in the freely downloadable white paper titled Why You Should Perform Security Functions at the Load Balancing Level. Here is a summary of the security features available with the hardware appliance versions of LoadMaster (Enterprise or Enterprise Plus support agreement required to enable some features):
- TLS/SSL Offloading - Encryption of traffic moving over any network is vital. However, encrypting or decrypting network packets can significantly increase the load on application and web servers. LoadMaster load balancers sitting in front of these servers can take over the task of TLS/SSL processing (known as offloading) and free up the computing resources of the application and web servers for delivering applications and content. LoadMaster hardware appliance has an additional advantage over the virtual and cloud versions. All models of the appliance from the LoadMaster X25-NG and upwards LoadMaster hardware load balancers include integrated hardware acceleration to handle TLS/SSL tasks.
- Strong Authentication - LoadMaster includes advanced authentication support, including integration with Active Directory, RADIUS, SAML and multi-factor authentication solutions. LoadMaster also supports Role Based Access Control (RBAC) to provide administrators and end users with appropriate access levels, reducing the likelihood of accidental or malicious damage by people with elevated permissions they don’t need. The strong authentication support extends to API access. LoadMaster secures APIs by inspecting traffic, validating inputs and blocking unauthorized access. Read more on the LoadMaster 360 site.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF) - LoadMaster solution includes a WAF built on the industry-respected ModSecurity WAF. It delivers protection against common and emerging threats, including those in the OWASP Top 10. The WAF has a rules subscription service (requires an Enterprise Plus support contract), which means new application vulnerabilities get addressed quickly. All LoadMaster licenses include the WAF; only the subscription for rule updates requires an Enterprise Plus support agreement. You can create all the rules you want manually.
- Edge Security Pack (ESP) - Edge Security Pack (ESP) delivers a solution to organizations that have previously deployed Microsoft Threat Management Gateway to secure their Microsoft applications. ESP includes pre-authentication, single sign-on (SSO), LDAP/RADIUS integration and two-factor authentication.
- Zero Trust Security Model Support - LoadMaster load balancers can help network teams implement the zero-trust security model. It helps minimize the risk of unauthorized access by providing ways to validate user and device identities. Read more on our Zero Trust Access Gateway Architecture page.
- Consistent User Interface - LoadMaster hardware features a consistent and intuitive UI, PowerShell-based CLI, and full RESTful API support that is the same as those available in the virtual and cloud versions. This means that admin staff can use their knowledge across all types of LoadMaster deployments.
Key Benefits of Kemp LoadMaster Load Balancers
Kemp LoadMaster hardware (and software versions) provides proven application delivery and cybersecurity features tailored to myriad deployment requirements. The LoadMaster’s integration with existing applications and security solutions means organizations have the tools to deliver and safeguard their applications.
By combining in-depth security and performance optimization, LoadMaster delivers a solution that meets and exceeds the demands of organizations of all sizes using the following methods:
- Improved Application Performance - Deploying LoadMaster load balancers to manage access to backend application servers delivers better utilization of those servers and a better experience for users.
- Maximize Uptime and Scheduled Maintenance - Delivering high availability and failover, including across large geographic regions using GSLB. Provide seamless server maintenance windows during regular working hours by selectively taking backend servers offline for updates and maintenance without any service disruption.
- Enhanced Security Posture - Integrating authentication services, an industry-leading WAF, and TLS/SSL offloading helps security teams and systems admins boost their organizations’ security without adding multiple separate devices and solutions.
- Reduce TCO by boosting Efficiency - Maximizing the use of backend servers by intelligently spreading the load across them means that infrastructure use is optimized and reduces capacity. Metrics on traffic and application usage also help with planning and scalability decisions before there is a bottleneck or lack of capacity to meet demand.
- Operational Simplicity - As mentioned previously, each LoadMaster deployment across the appliances, virtual machines, and the cloud uses the same software and management interfaces. System admins only need to learn one load balancer interface and operation, even across hybrid deployments using appliances or virtual machines on-premises or multiple public cloud providers.
Use Cases
The 100,000-plus deployments and the Gartner Peer Insights and G2 reviews paint a compelling story of how many organizations have successfully deployed LoadMaster for on-premises, hybrid and cloud application projects. Here are some of the industry sectors where these success stories have happened. You can read many specific examples in the Case Studies section of the LoadMaster Resources page.
Enterprise Web Applications - Load balancing web applications to deliver resilience and performance is probably the first thing most IT professionals consider when they think about load balancing. LoadMaster is a proven leader in this field, serving organizations of all sizes, from SMEs to global enterprises. For example, the LoadMmaster canto handle its huge and seasonal web store traffic. Remember that all versions of LoadMaster run the same software, so anything that’s true for an Azure Cloud deployment is also true for on-premises hardware LoadMaster appliances.
Financial Services - Financial services is another significant sector where LoadMaster enables organizations to deliver resilient services and make them continually available to customers. Accessing and verifying financial information for transactions is the very definition of a mission-critical service. Plus, the added levels of security that LoadMaster provides help protect sensitive financial information. A leading Caribbean-based financial business deployed LoadMaster to deliver its application delivery needs.
Healthcare Delivery - Making sure that healthcare systems are always available and secure is another obvious example of where deploying LoadMaster is beneficial. A local healthcare authority (L’Azienda Sanitaria Locale) in Italy deployed hardware LoadMaster appliances to create a resilient and disaster-proof health delivery network—a critical project due to frequent earthquake activity in the region.
Selected LoadMaster Appliance Case Studies
Here are two LoadMaster hardware appliance case studies taken from the examples on the case studies site:
- The Harris County District Attorney’s Office - They required an intelligent load balancing solution with GSLB functionality to provide high availability for mission-critical applications and multi-resiliency across production and disaster recovery sites to protect against any event that resulted in a critical resource failure. Discover why they chose to deploy LoadMaster appliance solution.
- Sageworks Deploys LoadMaster - The Abrigo financial information company, Sageworks, replaced their F5 Big-IP load balancers with LoadMaster after experiencing issues with support, responsiveness and the complex UI. They deployed a pair of hardware LoadMaster load balancers in their on-premises data center in an active/passive cluster (plus virtual instances in DEV/TEST), providing continuous uptime and increased responsiveness for the nearly 4 million requests handled every day. Learn more about their rationale for the change.
How the Kemp LoadMaster Solution Compares to Competitors
As this article mentions, LoadMaster rates favorably with industry experts and users. We’ve already linked to the Gartner Peer Insights and G2 business technology and software review platform. The high ratings found there build on a solid foundation of technical expertise, trust and world-leading support.
When it comes to appliances that deliver load balancing, we believe that LoadMaster is a better option than other hardware load balancing options. We have a dedicated Compare Hardware Load Balancers: Kemp LoadMaster, F5 Big-IP & Citrix Netscaler page, where we have collected relevant information to allow potential LoadMaster customers to make a comparison. Rather than repeat that information, we’ll link to the page so anyone interested can read it at their leisure: https://kemptechnologies.com/campaigns/compare-kemp-f5-big-ip-citrix-netscaler-hardware-load-balancers.
Conclusion
Deploying a robust load-balancing infrastructure is a strategic investment in your organization’s application delivery experience and future business success. Each organization is different, and its load-balancing requirements will be unique. In many instances, deploying on-premises hardware is required even in the increasingly cloud-first world. The LoadMaster hardware appliances fill any requirements, from small workgroup-level appliances to SME-designed hardware to enterprise-level devices.
LoadMaster has built a track record over decades of projects and 100,000-plus deployments. These stats mean you can have confidence that a deployment similar to your requirements has happened before. Our consultancy and support teams will be able to help with your deployment and ongoing use of hardware LoadMaster devices and hybrid deployments using any of the available deployment options.
Find Out More
For more information about the Progress LoadMaster solution, contact our sales team or visit our website for case studies and technical resources. If you’re using a different hardware load balancer, try a virtual LoadMaster load balancer to see how it can improve your infrastructure and reduce ongoing costs. Click the Free Trial button on the LoadMaster website to start your journey to a better load-balancing experience for your web servers and applications. Then, when you have seen how LoadMaster is better, please chat with our team about which hardware appliance would be best for your needs.
