Navigating CDN Consolidation: Why Local Solutions Matter

Navigating CDN Consolidation: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead

The CDN industry is seeing rapid shifts, with major players like Akamai and Cloudflare consolidating their positions. This creates challenges and opportunities for businesses. Changing CDN providers is more complex than it seems and how Peakhour can assist you through this transition.

Market Shifts in the CDN Industry

The CDN market is undergoing substantial shifts with industry giants and emerging players alike reshaping the landscape. Akamai's acquisition of Linode is one such example, aimed at cementing its role in the market by expanding its cloud services. Cloudflare is also diversifying its services, adding a range of cloud-based solutions to its CDN offerings.

Akamai's Strategic Moves

Akamai has recently bought customer contracts from both Lumen and StackPath. This will likely boost their revenue by tens of millions of dollars in 2024. But it’s not all about Akamai’s gains. The new customers will also benefit from Akamai’s broader range of cloud and security services.

Azure CDN Standard from Akamai, StackPath CDN, and Lumen CDN are all going offline soon. Clients have received only 2-3 months' notice for migration, which can be stressful. Vendors should avoid putting their customers in these tight spots. To protect yourself, consider adopting a multi-CDN strategy.

What Happened to Section.io?

Section.io, once a CDN, shifted to edge computing before being sold to Webscale. This leaves approximately 300 Australian websites looking for new service providers. If you're one of them, now's the time to act.

These moves collectively make the decision to switch or stick with a CDN provider more complex. It's prompting businesses, especially smaller ones, to look at flexible and reliable local alternatives, such as Peakhour. Switching your CDN is not as straightforward as it may appear. Your CDN acts as the gateway to your website or application, so making a switch can involve reconfiguring your entire system.

Why Peakhour Is the Right Choice

Peakhour stands out as a local, reliable alternative in an industry undergoing rapid change. We offer the flexibility you need, especially when it comes to customisation and a full suite of services.

Considering a CDN switch? Understand that it’s a big deal, and Peakhour can assist you in making the transition smoother.

Peakhour's Top 10 Things to Consider When Changing Providers

Switching CDNs? Keep these ten key factors in mind:

1. Caching Rules: Use this chance to review and possibly optimise your caching settings.

2. POP Distribution: Understand how the new CDN's points of presence might affect your traffic.

3. Security Gaps: Evaluate how the new CDN's security measures compare to your current provider.

4. Access Lists: Make sure IP whitelists and blacklists move over seamlessly.

5. Origin Security: Update IP addresses to ensure your origin server recognises the new CDN.

6. SSL/TLS Certificates: Confirm the new CDN supports your existing SSL/TLS settings and carry over needed certificates.

7. API Compatibility: Ensure the new CDN offers APIs that match or surpass your current usage.

8. Analytics and Monitoring: Assess if the new CDN's analytics tools meet your needs.

9. Rate Limiting: Review the rate limiting options of the new CDN, especially if your site experiences traffic bursts.

10. Costs: Account for all expenses including migration, potential downtime, and any hidden fees.

Additional Considerations for a Seamless Transition

Beyond the top ten, also consider:

1. Bot Protection: Evaluate how the new CDN manages automated traffic.

2. User Agent Validation: Make sure the new CDN effectively screens search engine bots.

3. IP Reputation Lists: Know how your new CDN updates and uses IP reputation lists.

4. API Protection: Confirm that the new CDN provides robust API security measures.

5. Dynamic Page Caching: Check how the new CDN handles caching for dynamic content.

6. Query String Handling: Understand how your new CDN treats query strings, as this can affect cache performance post-migration.

Special Concerns for E-commerce Sites

For e-commerce, also think about:

1. Site Integrations: Does the new CDN support plugins for your platform like Magento?

2. Custom WAF Rules and Exceptions: Ensure these can move over to the new CDN.

3. Image Optimisation: Update Image APIs if your CDN handles image transformations.

Advanced Configurations: Origin Mounting and Request Routing

Advanced setups can require special attention:

1. Origin Mounting: Confirm your multiple origins will work as needed with the new CDN.

2. Request Routing: Make sure you can replicate your existing routing configurations with the new provider.

3. Edge Redirects: Ensure the new CDN can handle any redirects you’ve configured at the edge.

For more guidance, contact Peakhour. We have the local expertise to guide you through the complexities of switching CDN providers.