Aiming to make it easier and more cost-effective to combine cloud-based video processing with edge delivery, from content preparation to playback, Akamai has integrated its CDN capabilities with Microsoft Azure Media Services and Blob Storage.
Together, Akamai and Microsoft say they will work to offer customers higher quality streaming delivery, lower latencies and more choices for their integrated media workflows through mutual partners such as Harmonic and Telestream. Akamai will directly connect its edge network to Azure using a high-speed Azure ExpressRoute connection, a move that it says will result in significant efficiencies when storing and delivering content. It is also said to provide mutual customers with lower, more predictable cost structures between Azure and Akamai’s content delivery network.
Akamai added that it will enhance the delivery of live and on-demand streaming workflows through Azure Media Services, Microsoft’s cloud video workflow platform for encoding, packaging, DRM and Video AI video metadata indexing. As part of the agreement, Akamai will enable select strategic customer solutions to run on Azure and enter into a co-sell relationship with Microsoft, wherein its products will be available in the Azure Marketplace.
“Our customers are expanding their libraries and delivering more content to larger audiences at higher levels of quality than ever before. Many of them are asking for help to simplify how they manage and deliver video, scale their services and move their workflow functions to the cloud,” said Akamai CEO Tom Leighton. “We will create an environment that mitigates cost while maximising performance and scale for content providers.”