Solve the Biz Services Puzzle with CDNs

To a cable operator, content delivery network (CDN) most likely means one of two things: a way of offloading traffic to increase network efficiency and predictability, or (perhaps more probably) a way of serving their own content to multiple, IP-based connected devices.But if an operator makes the foray into enterprise services, they will need CDN technology of a slightly different flavor, said Frank Childs, director of product marketing, Akamai's (NASDAQ:AKAM) Aura Network Solutions. Commercial grade CDN at its most basic is the same in that it is the delivery of HTTP traffic, but it has more bells and whistles - security, web acceleration, front-end optimization - that wouldn't matter in the residential market, for example.While service providers have made attempts to build their own commercial CDNs, they focused on big volume traffic. "Where they ran into roadblocks was that CDN technology evolved," Childs said. "At Akamai (for example), 60% of revenue is value-added features on top of bit delivery."Two large telcos, AT&T (NYSE:T) and French operator Orange, recently announced deals with Akamai to sell CDN services to enterprise customers. On first glance, this may seem counterintuitive, particularly given AT&T's well-publicized push over the last several years to nurture its own CDN business. But the collaboration clicks when you look at logistics, Childs said. The service providers gain access to Akamai's suite of value-added features, and they also now have the ability to serve a global market thanks to Akamai's international reach."A large bank doesn't want to do a (separate) deal with AT&T, BT, Orange, NTT, (etc.). That doesn't make a lot of sense," Childs said. "(Now) AT&T can deliver over their own footprint, but off their footprint, they use the Akamai platform. That completes the puzzle."From Akamai's perspective, the alliances open new doors. "The telcos have enterprise customers we have never heard of," Childs said. "It makes sense to expand our reach (in this way)."As for cable, Childs said similar partnerships could occur depending on an operator's business goals. "The question is what they want to do to expand their sales organization. If they want to call on enterprise customers, this fits in beautifully."In the meantime, there is another outlet for CDN technology, which lies between the commercial and residential models, Childs said. A cable operator could use a CDN to allow OTT traffic to use the same infrastructure as its own "walled garden" content. "This is a model we are embracing and taking to market."Monta Monaco Hernon is a free-lance writer. She can be reached at [email protected].