F5 and Forcepoint Partner to Secure Enterprise AI From Data Creation to Runtime Operations

Key Terms

data security posture management technical

Data security posture management is an ongoing process that finds, tracks and fixes where sensitive information lives and how well it is protected across an organization’s systems. Think of it as a security checklist for a house—locking doors, checking windows and noting fragile items—so investors can judge how well a company reduces the risk of costly breaches, regulatory fines, or operational interruptions that can hurt revenue and reputation.

api technical

An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules that allows different software programs to communicate and work together smoothly, much like a waiter translating your order into the kitchen and then bringing your meal back. For investors, APIs are important because they enable real-time access to financial data, trading systems, and other digital services, making it easier to make informed decisions quickly and efficiently.

red teaming technical

Red teaming is an independent, adversarial review where a group deliberately probes a company’s systems, plans or controls by thinking and acting like an attacker to find weak spots before real threats do. Think of it as hiring someone to try to break into your house so you can fix the locks; for investors, it matters because red teaming uncovers hidden risks, reduces the chance of costly breaches or regulatory problems, and can protect a company’s financial and reputational value.

ai guardrails technical

AI guardrails are the policies, technical controls and review processes that steer how a company’s artificial intelligence systems behave, like guardrails on a highway keeping a car on the road. They matter to investors because they reduce legal, ethical and operational risks, protect reputation and help ensure AI-driven products deliver reliable results, which in turn affects revenue, compliance costs and long-term value.

runtime protection technical

Runtime protection is a set of security measures that monitor and block malicious activity while software or devices are actively running, much like a security guard watching a building in real time and stopping intruders as they appear. For investors, it matters because effective runtime protection reduces the risk of data breaches, service outages and regulatory fines, helping preserve a company's revenue, reputation and ongoing product reliability.

data exfiltration technical

Data exfiltration is the unauthorized copying or removal of sensitive information from an organization’s systems, like someone sneaking files out of a locked office. It matters to investors because stolen data can lead to direct financial loss, regulatory fines, legal liability, damage to customer trust, and operational disruption — all of which can reduce revenue and share value and create unpredictable costs for the company.

ai agents technical

AI agents are computer programs designed to perform tasks or make decisions automatically, often by learning from data and adapting to new information. They act like virtual assistants or robots that can handle complex activities without human intervention, which can help businesses and individuals save time and improve efficiency. For investors, AI agents matter because they can enhance decision-making and automate processes that influence markets and financial outcomes.

Collaboration connects data discovery and classification with runtime protection and continuous assurance to help organizations securely operationalize AI

SEATTLE & AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in delivering and securing every app and API, and Forcepoint, a global leader in data security, today announced a new alliance to help enterprises secure AI across its lifecycle—from foundational data discovery and classification through runtime protection and continuous assurance.

As organizations rapidly deploy AI across copilots, assistants, and automated workflows, security practices are struggling to keep pace. Many enterprises face complex challenges in identifying where sensitive data resides, how it flows through AI systems, and the potential risks introduced during production. While data governance, application security, and runtime protections remain crucial, they commonly operate in silos, creating gaps between security policy and AI behavior in practice.

To solve this problem, Forcepoint’s AI-native Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) data discovery and classification capabilities combine with F5’s red teaming and AI guardrails functionality in the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP). This approach provides runtime protections for AI applications, APIs, models, and agents to help organizations operationalize AI safely while maintaining control and visibility over sensitive enterprise data.

The combined capabilities help security teams identify and address data vulnerabilities in real time, prioritize AI use cases based on risk, enforce runtime controls over AI interactions, and monitor systems for misuse or abnormal behavior. Continuous telemetry and policy validation provide ongoing assurance that AI systems are operating securely and in line with enterprise governance requirements.

“Enterprises are moving AI initiatives from experimentation to production faster than most security programs can adapt,” said John Maddison, Chief Marketing Officer, F5. “By combining Forcepoint’s deep data intelligence and contextual awareness with F5’s advanced application security and runtime protections, organizations eliminate operational security gaps with unmatched confidence and control in their AI operations. As AI’s threat surface continues to expand, the combined power of DSPM technologies with F5’s AI Red Team and AI Guardrails equips enterprises with proactive tools to securely scale and govern AI at every stage of its lifecycle.”

“AI has fundamentally redefined data security, exposing static policies for what they are: inadequate,” said Naveen Palavalli, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Forcepoint. “F5 and Forcepoint are establishing a new standard of continuous, adaptive protection that follows data from the moment of creation through every stage of its lifecycle, including the runtime layer where AI systems operate, evolve, and expand risk vectors. The threats AI brings require a new category for proactive data and AI risk mitigation, and our partnership is delivering on this today.”

Connecting data intelligence with runtime AI protection

Organizations adopting AI must determine which data should be accessible to AI systems, which use cases present the greatest risk, and how to enforce policies once AI applications are in production. The F5-Forcepoint partnership addresses these challenges by treating AI security as a continuous lifecycle, connecting data understanding with runtime enforcement.

At the foundation, Forcepoint enables organizations to discover, classify, prioritize, and govern sensitive and business-critical data across cloud, SaaS, endpoint, and enterprise data environments. This AI-powered visibility helps determine which data is appropriate for AI use and which initiatives require the highest level of scrutiny.

F5 then secures AI systems at runtime by enforcing policies across APIs, gateways, applications, and AI agents. The F5 AI Red Team and F5 AI Guardrails functionality within F5 ADSP enables customers to secure AI models through its monitoring and adversarial testing capabilities. By leveraging the solution, customers will defend against threat actors by detecting prompt abuse, preventing data exfiltration, and protecting AI models and workloads from emerging threats.

Together, the companies enable organizations to move from data reality to runtime trust, ensuring AI systems are grounded in trusted data while continuously protected as they operate in production.

By aligning data security with application and API protection, the F5-Forcepoint partnership provides a pragmatic path for enterprises to adopt AI without rebuilding their security architecture or waiting for fully integrated platforms to mature.

F5 is at the RSA Conference this week, where attendees can visit booth #6365 to learn more about the joint F5-Forcepoint solution and related AI security innovations.

Join Forcepoint leaders and experts to explore how organizations are securing data in the age of AI, including the F5-Forcepoint solution, at the Forcepoint Experience Center on the fourth floor of the St. Regis San Francisco during RSA week.

Supporting materials

• F5 blog: F5 and Forcepoint to secure AI from data to runtime
• Forcepoint blog: From Data Truth to Runtime Trust

About F5

F5, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) is the global leader that delivers and secures every app. Backed by three decades of expertise, F5 has built the industry’s premier platform—F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP)—to deliver and secure every app, every API, anywhere: on-premises, in the cloud, at the edge, and across hybrid, multicloud environments. F5 is committed to innovating and partnering with the world’s largest and most advanced organizations to deliver fast, available, and secure digital experiences. Together, we help each other thrive and bring a better digital world to life.

For more information visit f5.com.
Explore F5 Labs threat research at f5.com/labs.
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F5 is a trademark, service mark, or tradename of F5, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. The use of the terms “partner,” “partners,” “partnership,” or “partnering” in this press release does not imply that a joint venture exists between F5 and any other company.

About Forcepoint

Forcepoint enables Self-Aware Data Security, an AI-native approach that helps enterprises and governments know their data everywhere, adapt to evolving risks and regulations in real time, and protect at scale with a unified, single-policy framework. Based in Austin, Texas, Forcepoint creates safe, trusted environments for customers and their employees in more than 150 countries. For more information visit Forcepoint.com; or connect with Forcepoint on LinkedIn.

Source: F5, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260324102106/en/

Jenna Becker

F5

(415) 857-2864

j.becker@f5.com

Holly Lancaster

We. Communications

(415) 547-7054

hlancaster@wecommunications.com

Rachael Lyon

Forcepoint

rachael.lyon@forcepoint.com

Source: F5, Inc.