How important will adopting an eCDN solution be for your organization?
In the last 12 months we have witnessed more than 10 years of digital transformation happen as a result of mandatory remote work. The pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated the rate of video adoption, and this reliance on video will continue to grow even after companies return to the office in 2021.
With many employees already starting to trickle into their workplace, companies will still continue to practice social distancing and restrict gatherings in conference rooms for safety. That means employees will likely be viewing town halls and training sessions from individual desks.
A hybrid work environment brings much needed flexibility, but one of the most immediate challenges it creates for IT departments is the additional strain on the corporate network as a result of increased video usage. Overwhelming network congestion can ultimately hinder productivity and a company’s ability to effectively engage with its employees.
Video has now become business critical. Is your corporate network ready for the demands of delivering high quality enterprise video?
CDN vs. eCDN
As video becomes essential to most organizations, it will be critical to adopt an enterprise CDN (eCDN) solution. But how is an eCDN different from a traditional CDN?
Content delivery networks (CDN) are distribution systems on the public internet that accelerate the delivery of any Internet-based content. Content includes websites, images, video, software downloads, and so on.
While CDN and eCDN serve essentially the same purpose, the latter is capable of delivering video content quickly and smoothly within the corporate network to solve the peak content demand problem in corporations.
An eCDN deploys servers behind the firewall to help reduce the amount of network resources needed to serve heavy traffic. This technology helps manage the flow of video traffic, while ensuring that valuable bandwidth is kept in reserve for other critical applications (if needed). For example, it can classify and prioritize different types of network flow and reduce interference with video delivery.
The Challenge with Video Delivery for Enterprise
Typically, the work of a CDN goes unnoticed until it fails on you with obvious performance issues like connection failure, inability to access videos, streaming lag, etc. These red flags arise when demand on bandwidth exceeds available capacity on the network. Network congestion will become a prominent occurrence as more employees return to the office. Ultimately this overwhelming traffic will not only impact video streaming and content delivery, but other critical business applications as bandwidth bottleneck persists. The current structure of most corporate networks has unfortunately left companies ill-prepared to handle the volume of video content we are experiencing today.
Poor-quality video streaming, unwavering video buffering, and start-up delays due to inadequate network management will negatively effective business operations. While technical difficulties during large-scale video broadcasts, such as town halls and live events, are extremely expensive. With such high demands for live video and VoD streaming, more companies will face an urgent need for an eCDN to maintain operations.
At the core, an eCDN focuses on delivering video content quickly and securely within the corporate network. Although a CDN and an eCDN are based on the same underlying concept, an eCDN is modified to optimize video traffic which eliminates network congestion created by bandwidth-intensive video.
The Benefits of eCDN
Optimized quality video content while freeing up your bandwidth:
Regardless of audience size or location, eCDN not only enhances your network and viewing experience at scale but also significantly reduces the required bandwidth. Viewers from any location within the corporate network will benefit from accelerated and secure access to the server.
Cost savings:
An eCDN is capable of reducing bandwidth consumption by up to 99%. Avoid expensive infrastructure upgrades, so you can deliver a high-quality video experience with your existing network infrastructure.
Quick and effortless deployments:
Implementing an eCDN does not require physical installations, deployments, reconfigurations, or infrastructure changes.
No compromises on security:
A key benefit of an eCDN is that it does not need to sacrifice quality for security. Depending on an organization’s security requirements and infrastructure, there is a tailored eCDN solution that can align with their needs. Ramp eCDN can be implemented either behind the firewall or in the cloud.
Deploying an eCDN can help scale video content delivery across multiple office locations. This is done by reducing the use of their precious wide area network (WAN) bandwidth. Companies can then effectively support remote employees and stakeholders on virtually any device. Ultimately, with the added benefit of cost-savings, and without any compromise to enterprise security.
How Ramp eCDN Can Help
Ramp is the only eCDN provider that can deliver all types of eCDN (multicast, caching and P2P) as a unified solution. Our solution can support any network, platform and device, without having to sacrifice the right technology or security. In the world of eCDN, there is no such thing as one size fits all. It is crucial to take the time to assess which technology is best for your organization’s needs and requirements.
Some of the world’s largest global organizations trust Ramp to securely deliver flawless video streaming, while reducing bandwidth by up to 99%.
Not sure which eCDN technology is right for your organization? The Ramp Team can help. Contact us to learn more about how to scale your network and select the best eCDN technology for your organization.
