What is an eCDN?
An eCDN—short for enterprise content delivery network—is a private content delivery network that functions similarly to a CDN used for delivering video streams to consumers. However, rather than relying on the public Internet, an eCDN uses internal private networks, such as LANs and WANs, to securely deliver content to authorized viewers. eCDN servers are typically deployed behind corporate firewalls, and all traffic is encrypted, ensuring the security and privacy of the delivered content.
Benefits of eCDN
Here are the benefits of eCDN:
- eCDN caches video content and delivers it locally to end-users, reducing WAN traffic and providing faster access to video content for viewers in locations with deployed eCDN edge servers.
- With eCDN, high-capacity network connections to the Internet are unnecessary for each location, saving costs on network infrastructure.
- All eCDN servers are deployed behind corporate firewalls, reducing the number of Internet connections and ensuring secure, encrypted traffic via HTTPS protocols.
- eCDN servers are virtual appliances that can be installed on shared or dedicated hardware, making deployment and management of the solution flexible and cost-effective.
- The eCDN Management Portal provides an easy-to-use interface for defining eCDN topology in terms of locations and number of server instances, allowing for centralized management of the solution.
- Using the eCDN Management Portal, you can also monitor of viewership on each server instance and track performance across the network, ensuring high-quality delivery of video content.
- Updates for all eCDN components, including virtual appliances for servers, are delivered automatically, ensuring the solution remains up-to-date and secure.
eCDN vs. CDN
Here are the three main differences between eCDN and CDN:
- CDN is a third-party service used by content creators for the distribution of content over the Internet, while eCDN is typically an internally-owned solution used by businesses for delivering private content over the organization's networks, like LANs and WANs.
- The cost structures of CDN and eCDN differ in that CDN is usually a recurring operating expense paid monthly or annually, while eCDN requires a one-time capital investment.
- CDNs are highly scalable and can easily adapt to changing needs, while eCDNs may face more challenges with scalability, making CDNs more suitable for organizations that need to share content with a broader audience outside their network.