Platform Strategies for Closed Networking Structure – the Case Study of AKAMAI of CDN Industry
Date Issued
2014
Date
2014
Author(s)
Wu, I-Chih
Abstract
With the rapid development of Internet application from broadband streaming media and Web 2.0, the browsing speed and effectiveness of the site are increasingly important. However, due to the content producer and organizer are more scattered, multi-node distributed upload/download, network bandwidth has become more crowded stretched. Furthermore, mobile devices, P2P streaming media, IPTV , e-commerce, e-learning, tele-conferencing broadband applications, are overall exacerbated the heavy loading of network. Content Delivery Network (CDN) technology is to deliver content through the Internet, to reallocate the content source to the end user by shorter route, more balanced loading, higher loading rate of streaming media via backbone network bandwidth, and better video quality. With the growing popularity of mobile devices, the Internet-based network infrastructure is difficult to 100% perfect, CDN service providers are expanding theier scope of services in networking market. The rapid development of wisdom terminals, mobile broadband and wireless technology, the reducing storage equipment costs, many international companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, Dell, HP, Oracle, etc. have aggressively entered the field of Cloud services, offers a variety of e-mail, video, maps, social and other types of online software services. Facing booming Cloud-Computing industry, how CDN service providers to construct its network architecture competitiveness by three kinds of business model : Content-centric CDN, Access-centric CDN, and Content Bridge and Content Alliance CDN? In this study, use case study of CDN services leader Akamai by the qualitative research method, collecting CDN industry related research reports ( internal company information and other first-hand and secondary data), using Value Net to explore characteristics and demands of CDN''s competitors, complementors, customers and end users, according to Akamai''s internal KSF (for example, loading balance, dynamic content distribution and replication, caching technology, as well as unique sales pipeline), and external KSF (for example, digital media, mobile network and cloud acceleration service) to the theoretical analysis of the case Akamai. The results showes that Akamai Intelligence Platform constructs a distributed closed network architecture, with 1.Terra Cloud Solutions, 2.Aqua Website Solutions, 3. Sola Media Solutions, 4. Aura Network Solutions, 5.Kona Security Solutions, Luna Control Center and customer support effectively meet their value of the proposition and the most four important trends IDC or Gartner analyzed : Cloud Computing, Mobile Devices, Social Media, and Big Data. However, the analysis through Netowrk and Platform theories, due to non-network externalities CDNs can only provide complementary products or services to enhance indirect network effects for two or more parties by overall efficiency of the platform to pursue minimum cost; the same time, CDNs are facing the threat of platform envelopment from cloud-computing and OTT services, we proposes three major network platform strategies in response to: (1) Technology-oriented acquisition : use of huge customer information, and industry alliance or cooperation of PaaS and Saas, providing Big Data analysis services. (2) Complementary cooperation with ISP: Use managed-CDN and licensed- CDN models, share common infrastructure and resource with the cooperation of regional ISPs. (3) Content-oriented cross-industry cooperation : Differentiate to OTT from functional demand of customer for more content services in cross-industry cooperation (such as education, commercial, enterprise and other markets).
Subjects
Content delivery Network
Network Mediated Platform
Network Effect
Platform envelopment
Type
thesis
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
ntu-103-P00750028-1.pdf
Size
23.32 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):58d68220cbd5b69ba6037c06052994ea