Akamai Accelerates Content Availability with Aspera High Speed File Transfer

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- 

• Simplifies rapid transfer of large, high-quality files for cloud-based workflows
• International TV content distributor DramaFever speeds and streamlines media workflows with Akamai's Aspera Upload Acceleration for NetStorage

Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading provider of cloud services for delivering, optimizing and securing online content and business applications, and Aspera, Inc., an IBM company and creators of next-generation software technologies that move the world's large data at maximum speed, today announced a new high-speed option for Akamai customers to accelerate upload and distribution of rich media content on the Akamai Intelligent Platform™. The Aspera Upload Acceleration option integrates Aspera's proven transfer technology directly into Akamai's NetStorage cloud-based online storage platform, providing a significantly faster means for Akamai customers to upload files regardless of file size or geographic distance.

"With a library that exceeds 14,000 titles and content coming in from 70 partners around the world, it's crucial that we're able to populate our service with new programs as quickly and efficiently as possible without sacrificing quality," said Seung Bak, founder and co-CEO of DramaFever, the largest online video site for the distribution of international television content.  "Since adding Aspera's Upload Acceleration to our Akamai storage platform, our upload speeds have improved substantially and we're realizing new efficiencies in our content workflow."

The integration of Aspera's patented FASP transfer software into Akamai's NetStorage is designed to significantly increase upload transfer speeds while creating a seamless end-user experience with no need to re-architect the workflow or build custom API calls. By mitigating delays caused by distance and packet loss between the upload point and cloud storage, customers are positioned to achieve throughput that is multiple times higher than traditional transfer protocols. The resulting performance reduces the time required to make time-sensitive content, high-quality video files and large content libraries available for delivery across the Akamai Intelligent Platform.

"Combining the global scale and reach of the Akamai Intelligent Platform with the speed of Aspera's FASP technology can dramatically increase the rate at which content is uploaded and ultimately delivered to viewers," said Michelle Munson, founder and CEO, Aspera. "Our two organizations worked extensively to build a tightly integrated and cohesive solution for owners of content of all sizes so they can realize new efficiencies in asset management and support higher quality delivery and playback of online video."

"The close integration between Aspera and Akamai creates a complete system that makes it as easy as possible for users to turbocharge their upload capabilities," said Michael Fay, vice president, media products and operations, Akamai. "With this technology integration, content can be accelerated across Akamai's entire cloud-based workflow regardless of geographical distances or packet loss, allowing users to publish their content faster than ever."

Akamai's NetStorage is a secure, geographically distributed cloud storage service that is designed to help customers reduce the cost, complexity and risk associated with maintaining a managed storage datacenter. Content uploaded to NetStorage is automatically replicated and stored in multiple geographically distributed locations. When content is requested, the Akamai Intelligent Platform delivers it from the location dynamically selected to offer the best performance. This geographical separation also provides resilience to regional power outages, congestion and natural disasters, maximizing content availability. The addition of Aspera's high-performance digital transport capability improves a NetStorage-based workflow by dramatically speeding file uploads into the platform.

Akamai and Aspera will demonstrate Aspera Upload Acceleration for NetStorage during the 2014 NAB Show at booths SL4525 (Akamai) and SL8511 (Aspera), April 7-10, in Las Vegas.

About Aspera
Aspera, an IBM Company, is the creator of next-generation transport technologies that move the world's data at maximum speed regardless of file size, transfer distance and network conditions. Based on its patented, Emmy® award-winning FASP™ protocol, Aspera software fully utilizes existing infrastructures to deliver the fastest, most predictable file-transfer experience. Aspera's core technology delivers unprecedented control over bandwidth, complete security and uncompromising reliability. Organizations across a variety of industries on six continents rely on Aspera software for the business-critical transport of their digital assets. Please visit www.asperasoft.com and follow us on Twitter @asperasoft for more information.

About Akamai
Akamai^® is the leading provider of cloud services for delivering, optimizing and securing online content and business applications. At the core of the Company's solutions is the Akamai Intelligent Platform™ providing extensive reach, coupled with unmatched reliability, security, visibility and expertise. Akamai removes the complexities of connecting the increasingly mobile world, supporting 24/7 consumer demand, and enabling enterprises to securely leverage the cloud. To learn more about how Akamai is accelerating the pace of innovation in a hyperconnected world, please visit www.akamai.com or blogs.akamai.com, and follow @Akamai on Twitter.

Akamai Contacts:
Chris Nicholson
Akamai Media Relations
617-444-2987
[email protected]

Tom Barth
Akamai Investor Relations
617-274-7130
[email protected]

Aspera Media contacts
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
UK enquiries: Rebecca Edwards, +44 (0) 20 7403 8878, [email protected]
USA/Asia enquiries: Kim Willsher, (+1) 310 569 2603, [email protected]

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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.