As consumers continued demand more high-quality content over the Internet, service providers are finding it difficult to increase revenues while containing costs. This is due mainly to two trends: (1) over-the-top (OTT) content providers having outsourced delivery of content to pure-play content delivery network (CDN) companies and (2) traffic growth (with no resulting revenue benefit), increasing network build-out and maintenance costs.
In response, many SPs have begun to utilize CDNs within their networks. While this approach has helped, results have been limited. Now, SPs are exploring the potential of CDN federations, which Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) defines as multi-footprint, open CDN capabilities built from resources owned and operated by autonomous members.
This paper provides an overview of the trends and challenges facing SPs today with regard to content delivery, describes a Cisco-led CDN federation pilot and results to date, and lays out the next steps for the pilot in an effort make CDN federations a reality.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are leading the way to cloud services. In fact, SMBs represent two-thirds of the public cloud market, outpacing the growth of enterprise cloud adoption by about 10 points, according to a recent McKinsey report (“Outlook—Overcast and Bright: How the Cloud Is Transforming IT for SMEs,” McKinsey & Company, July 2011). Yet, many service providers (SPs) are wondering whether the rate of SMB cloud adoption makes it worthwhile to invest in cloud and managed services for SMBs. They are asking:
Is now the time to invest in SMB-focused services?
Please join us on Tuesday, December 6, at 8 a.m. Pacific Time (11 a.m. Eastern Time) for this live interactive event.
During the live event, Cisco subject matter expert Salman Asadullah will focus on service provider IPv6 deployment techniques in core networks, which will help network designers and administrators understand IPv6 operation and implementation options for native IPv4 and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) core environments. This session will also shed light on IPv6 multihoming and addressing and Cisco Carrier-Grade IPv6 (CGv6) solution considerations in core networks.
Salman Asadullah is a Cisco distinguished engineer and also serves as IPv6 forum fellow, Broadband Forum ambassador, and co-chair of the IPv6 Education Certification Program. He has been working with large-scale IP and multiservice networks and technologies for more than 15 years. A frequent speaker at key industry events and conferences who represents Cisco in industry panel discussions and technical platforms, Asadullah influences technology directions and decisions with Cisco business units and customers and the Internet community at large. He is a coauthor and contributor to IETF RFCs/IDs and has written three Internetworking books, Cisco CCIE Fundamentals: Network Design & Case Study, PDIO of the IPT Networks, and Deploying IPv6 in Broadband Access Networks. Asadullah holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona and a master of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kansas. He also holds CCIE certification number 2240.
Judging from the buzz at this year’s CDN World Summit, CDN federations are a hot topic—and not just because they were the focus of my keynote. In short, the industry has moved beyond “if” and is now talking about “when” and “how.” This is good news because I believe CDN federations will play an important role in creating new opportunities for service providers to monetize their services.
As consumers demand greater amounts of high-quality content for their in-home and mobile devices, service providers (SPs) are finding it difficult to increase revenues while containing costs. In response, many SPs have implemented their own CDNs to reduce content-transport costs and improve the quality of content delivery to customers. While this approach has helped, results have been limited. Read More »
No matter which hemisphere you’re in, the season is beginning to change and the new season reminds me of a few changes and constants. Here in the San Francisco Bay area, the weather will soon be getting colder, the trees on the local hills will turn their leaves a different color, and traffic congestion picks up as local workers return from their vacations. But these changes are not out of the ordinary and we’re used to dealing with them. A little preparation, knowledge, and flexibility–whether dressing appropriately, admiring the beautiful seasonal transitions, and shifting a commute schedule–keep us going and happy.
Likewise, major changes in the cloud and data center are upon us, but we’ve seen transitions like this before in IT. Proper training, strong partnering, and accepting that progress is inevitable will position you for success on the pathway to Cloud delivery.
An example of one of our customers moving to the Cloud is Entel. Based in Chile, Entel has worked to integrate the power of data center computing with the intelligence of the network in a Unified Service Delivery approach. Here is a short video our global team put together with Entel.
It’s exciting to see customers using Cisco UCS servers and Nexus data center switching to deliver cloud services flexibly, at scale, and with a pay-per-use model and meeting with good success. In its portfolio of services, Entel can offer virtualization as well as Cloud services to their customers based upon specific needs. By combining the network and compute, Entel has what could be considered the most advanced data center in Chile. Their ability to offer any service with high availability quickly to the market puts them in a spot of opportunity and if that sounds good to you, please leave a comment on this blog.
