Count F5 Networks is among the latest security-focused vendors that are bringing agentic AI capabilities into their portfolios.
The Seattle-based cybersecurity and application delivery company announced this week that it has acquired
Fletch, a six-year-old startup from San Francisco whose threat intelligence and logging technology uses AI to sort through alerts and detect threats.
F5’s plan is to integrate Fletch’s agentic AI capabilities into its Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP), which the vendor
introduced in February. The platform converges load balancing and traffic management with advanced application and API security capabilities, with the vendor boasting of its ability to address the demands of modern AI-powered applications.
The converged platform comes as enterprise AI adoption increases. Its 2025 State of Application Strategy Report, released in April, found that that 96% of organizations surveyed are deploying AI models and that within three years, 80% of all apps will be AI-enabled. However, it also found that most enterprises are not equipped to handle the massive amounts of data, complex traffic patterns, and new attack vectors that come with AI applications.
A Lifeline to Security Teams
Fletch’s technology will help F5 address an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape that includes hybrid and multicloud environments, widely distributed infrastructure and systems, and a growing number of sophisticated attacks, according to
Kunal Anand, F5’s chief innovation officer.
“Security teams are drowning in data, alerts, and logs,” Anand said in a statement. “They
need actionable context to reduce complexity and respond efficiently. By adding Fletch’s agentic AI capabilities to our platform, we can provide even deeper insights, real-time threat intelligence, and proactive security recommendations that empower teams to stay ahead of threats.”
The Rise of AI Agents
Agentic AI represents the latest step in the ongoing evolution of AI, a shift from the prompt-and-response nature of AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot to AI agents that can work autonomously to solve complex problems, doing everything from gathering data and collaborating with other AI agents to interacting with tools, adapting to changes, and learning from their mistakes.
They play a dual role for cybersecurity teams and MSSPs – giving them new tools for their defenses while also protecting against agentic AI-based threats, according to
David Reber Jr., chief security officer for Nvidia.“Cybersecurity teams are increasingly overwhelmed by talent shortages and growing alert volume,” Reber
wrote in a blog post. “Agentic AI offers new ways to bolster threat detection, response and AI security — and requires a fundamental pivot in the foundations of the cybersecurity ecosystem.”
Growing Adoption for Security
He also noted that a number of security vendors, including CrowdStrike and Trend Micro, are using Nvidia’s AI software to drive agentic AI in their operations. CrowdStrike in February
introduced its Charlotte AI Detection Triage tool, which the company claims can triage security detections with more than 98% accuracy, saving security operations centers (SOCs) an average of more than 40 hours of manual work per week.
Other cybersecurity companies are making moves to expand agentic AI in their portfolios. Last week, Zscaler announced the acquisition of managed detection and response
(MDR) specialist Red Canary to grow its agentic AI capabilities, with founder and CEO Jay Chaudhry saying the combination will “accelerate our vision of AI-powered SOC of the future. By integrating Red Canary with Zscaler, we will deliver to our customers the power of a fully integrated Zero Trust platform and AI-powered security operations.”
Also last week, SOCRadar said it is
expanding its MSSP program to include free AI agent and automation training to help service providers to streamline threat workflows, scale services, and deliver faster incident response.
Enhanced Security, Reduced Fatigue
For F5’s Anand, organizations will see a range of benefits when the company folds Fletch’s technology into the ADSP, including enhanced security analytics, reduced fatigue caused by a constant flood of alerts, and recommendations for remediating threats and other issues. It will help the vendor not only deliver greater visibility, but also greater velocity.
The combination of ADSP and AI agents means faster reactions, smarter predictions, and enhanced protections, he said.
“This is a big leap forward for intelligent, AI-native security,” he said, adding that “the addition of Fletch’s technology and expertise will only accelerate our ability to empower organizations to solve their most pressing security challenges.”
