Akamai Guarantees Faster Internet Content Delivery with Revolutionary New Service
CAMBRIDGE, MA, June 2, 1999 -- Akamai Technologies, which operates the world's only 100% guaranteed network for Internet content delivery, announced today the commercial availability of its first offering, FreeFlowSM. FreeFlow has been in commercial use since the beginning of April and to date has delivered more than 10 billion hits for some of the biggest sites on the Web. The service dramatically improves Web site performance and reliability, and is backed by Akamai's unparalleled Proof of Performance guarantee. In a separate announcement today, the company named Yahoo! as one of its charter FreeFlow customers. "Since launching FreeFlow, we've had tremendous market validation of the service, the technology, and most importantly the benefits to our customers," said George Conrades, Akamai Chairman and CEO. "FreeFlow increases Web site speed by a factor of two to ten times. And our Proof of Performance Guarantee ensures that if FreeFlow doesn't improve performance, or isn't 100% reliable, our customers don't pay. It's that simple."
FreeFlow Benefits
FreeFlow was designed around the needs of high-volume Web sites in eCommerce, new media, and Global 2,000 businesses. The service helps these premium Web properties generate more users, page views, and advertising and transaction revenues through:
1. Faster Downloads. FreeFlow delivers Internet content two to ten times faster than today's Web sites, eliminating users' wait for Web pages to download.
2. Richer Content. As a result of this dramatic speed improvement, FreeFlow enables Web designers to create richer, more engaging sites without sacrificing performance.
3. Peak Crowd Protection. FreeFlow is designed to handle any size Web audience, whether expected or not. Akamai's global network is orders of magnitude larger than any single customer's site and has the connectivity to handle any load.
4. Lower Costs. By subscribing to FreeFlow, Web site owners avoid costly capital investments in servers and other equipment, as well as ongoing bandwidth and operational expenses. By relying on Akamai's advanced Internet content delivery service, eBusinesses can focus on developing engaging sites rather than battling network reliability and performance.
5. Easy Implementation. FreeFlow is compatible with any Web server or site design and requires no extra hardware or software on customers' production systems. New Akamai customers can begin distributing content over Akamai's network in minutes.
6. Comprehensive Benefits. Every Web user visiting a customer's site automatically gets better performance and reliability; no user configuration or browser plug-ins are necessary.
How FreeFlow Works
FreeFlow is made possible by the combination of patent-pending algorithms that route content based on real-time Internet traffic conditions and other conditions. Three steps are involved in distributing Web content using FreeFlow.
1. Preparation. Web site owners prepare to use FreeFlow by earmarking content such as graphics files, advertising banners, and software downloads to be distributed over Akamai's network. This process is performed by a running a simple utility called FreeFlow Launcher, which makes minor modifications to HTML code. By "Akamaizing" these Web objects, customers offload responsibility for serving the vast majority of bits while retaining control over serving the initial hit of each page request. This novel method lets eBusinesses maintain complete ownership of relationships with users, including counting visitors, placing cookies, and dynamically assembling pages.
2. Network Monitoring. FreeFlow's sophisticated algorithms generate a unique map of current Internet traffic conditions, the loads of all Akamai servers worldwide, and the locations of Internet users. Akamai's global map is constantly updated -- as frequently as once per second -- ensuring that FreeFlow instantly responds to Internet outages and congestion.
3. Delivery. When a user requests a page containing Akamaized objects, his or her browser automatically points to an Akamai server rather than to the customer's central site. Based on Akamai's real-time network map, FreeFlow directs requests to the Akamai server best able to satisfy each request, resulting in better performance and reliability than ever before possible. This process, which uses standard Internet protocols, is transparent to all browsers and does not require any plug-ins or user configuration.
Akamai's Proof of Performance Guarantee
Because of FreeFlow's intelligence and Akamai's huge network reach, the company offers an unprecedented guarantee to every customer. Called "Proof of Performance," Akamai's offer guarantees:
1. Performance Enhancement: FreeFlow will deliver content faster than the customer's own server does, each and every day.
2. 100% Uptime: FreeFlow will serve content all the time, without exceptions.
If Akamai fails to meet either of these standards, the customer doesn't pay for the day in which the failure occurs. Before today, no company has ever offered such a comprehensive, no-excuses commitment to delivering Internet content worldwide.
The Akamai Network
To date, the company has deployed over 600 servers on 20 networks and has a total capacity of over 11 gigabits per second-enough throughput to support the peak demand of the world's 25 top Web sites combined. This massive deployment is important to customers for two reasons. First, a diverse network presence gives FreeFlow many options for routing content if some networks are overloaded or out of service. Second, Akamai's broad reach ensures servers are always physically close to end users, so Web requests don't travel long distances to be served.
Akamai's network is "fault-tolerant," or self-correcting in the event of failure. Recognizing that no architecture can ensure the availability of any particular component, FreeFlow's designers, working initially at MIT's famed Laboratory for Computer Science, developed a distributed system with no central control. Because of this approach, when individual servers, data centers, or even entire backbones fail, FreeFlow continues to deliver content on behalf of Akamai's customers around the clock.
The FreeFlow Sales Proposition
Because FreeFlow requires no new software or hardware for Web site owners or end users, the service is extremely easy to trial. First, Akamai and the customer enter into a 14-day evaluation period. During this test, the customer selects content to distribute using FreeFlow, and runs FreeFlow Launcher, Akamai's setup utility, for the appropriate Web pages. Customers may Akamaize as little or as much content as they wish during the evaluation period.
To help the customer assess FreeFlow's performance during the evaluation period, Akamai contracts with Keynote Systems, a third-party measurement service. Based on the testing done by this independent authority, the customer is able to evaluate the speed and reliability improvements of FreeFlow. The results show exactly how FreeFlow performed using live traffic, and are compared with the customer's existing processes.
"Give us a call, and we'll have you up and running the same day," said Earl Galleher, Akamai's Vice President of Sales and Distribution. "It's a great way for eBusinesses to benchmark site performance and see the benefits of FreeFlow firsthand, with no pain and no risk.
Pricing
FreeFlow customers pay only for the network resources they use -- no capital investment is required. Usage charges are priced according to megabits per second of content served. Customers commit to a minimum usage level and may "burst" above this commitment. Monthly pricing begins at $2,000 per megabit per second, with discounts for volume usage.
About Akamai
Akamai Technologies is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has offices in San Mateo and Cupertino, California, and Europe. Akamai is the leader in distributed content, streaming media, and applications delivery, serving over 225 of the Web's most popular properties including over 100 leading e-commerce companies. Akamai has deployed the broadest global network for content, streaming media, and applications delivery with more than 2000 servers in over 40 countries directly connected to more than 100 different telecommunications networks. Akamai (pronounced AH kuh my) is Hawaiian for intelligent, clever and cool.
| Contacts: |
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| Marco Greenberg NYPR 212-367-9600 marco@nypr.com |
--or-- | David Goodtree Akamai Technologies 617-250-3080 david@akamai.com |
| Lisa Bradlow NYPR 212-367-9600 lisa@nypr.com |
||
FreeFlow SM, Now Commercially Available, Has Already Served 10 Billion Hits
CAMBRIDGE, MA, June 2, 1999 -- Akamai Technologies, which operates the world's only 100% guaranteed network for Internet content delivery, announced today the commercial availability of its first offering, FreeFlowSM. FreeFlow has been in commercial use since the beginning of April and to date has delivered more than 10 billion hits for some of the biggest sites on the Web. The service dramatically improves Web site performance and reliability, and is backed by Akamai's unparalleled Proof of Performance guarantee. In a separate announcement today, the company named Yahoo! as one of its charter FreeFlow customers.CAMBRIDGE, MA, June 2, 1999 -- Akamai Technologies, which operates the world's only 100% guaranteed network for Internet content delivery, announced today the commercial availability of its first offering, FreeFlowSM. FreeFlow has been in commercial use since the beginning of April and to date has delivered more than 10 billion hits for some of the biggest sites on the Web. The service dramatically improves Web site performance and reliability, and is backed by Akamai's unparalleled Proof of Performance guarantee. In a separate announcement today, the company named Yahoo! as one of its charter FreeFlow customers. "Since launching FreeFlow, we've had tremendous market validation of the service, the technology, and most importantly the benefits to our customers," said George Conrades, Akamai Chairman and CEO. "FreeFlow increases Web site speed by a factor of two to ten times. And our Proof of Performance Guarantee ensures that if FreeFlow doesn't improve performance, or isn't 100% reliable, our customers don't pay. It's that simple."
FreeFlow Benefits
FreeFlow was designed around the needs of high-volume Web sites in eCommerce, new media, and Global 2,000 businesses. The service helps these premium Web properties generate more users, page views, and advertising and transaction revenues through:
1. Faster Downloads. FreeFlow delivers Internet content two to ten times faster than today's Web sites, eliminating users' wait for Web pages to download.
2. Richer Content. As a result of this dramatic speed improvement, FreeFlow enables Web designers to create richer, more engaging sites without sacrificing performance.
3. Peak Crowd Protection. FreeFlow is designed to handle any size Web audience, whether expected or not. Akamai's global network is orders of magnitude larger than any single customer's site and has the connectivity to handle any load.
4. Lower Costs. By subscribing to FreeFlow, Web site owners avoid costly capital investments in servers and other equipment, as well as ongoing bandwidth and operational expenses. By relying on Akamai's advanced Internet content delivery service, eBusinesses can focus on developing engaging sites rather than battling network reliability and performance.
5. Easy Implementation. FreeFlow is compatible with any Web server or site design and requires no extra hardware or software on customers' production systems. New Akamai customers can begin distributing content over Akamai's network in minutes.
6. Comprehensive Benefits. Every Web user visiting a customer's site automatically gets better performance and reliability; no user configuration or browser plug-ins are necessary.
How FreeFlow Works
FreeFlow is made possible by the combination of patent-pending algorithms that route content based on real-time Internet traffic conditions and other conditions. Three steps are involved in distributing Web content using FreeFlow.
1. Preparation. Web site owners prepare to use FreeFlow by earmarking content such as graphics files, advertising banners, and software downloads to be distributed over Akamai's network. This process is performed by a running a simple utility called FreeFlow Launcher, which makes minor modifications to HTML code. By "Akamaizing" these Web objects, customers offload responsibility for serving the vast majority of bits while retaining control over serving the initial hit of each page request. This novel method lets eBusinesses maintain complete ownership of relationships with users, including counting visitors, placing cookies, and dynamically assembling pages.
2. Network Monitoring. FreeFlow's sophisticated algorithms generate a unique map of current Internet traffic conditions, the loads of all Akamai servers worldwide, and the locations of Internet users. Akamai's global map is constantly updated -- as frequently as once per second -- ensuring that FreeFlow instantly responds to Internet outages and congestion.
3. Delivery. When a user requests a page containing Akamaized objects, his or her browser automatically points to an Akamai server rather than to the customer's central site. Based on Akamai's real-time network map, FreeFlow directs requests to the Akamai server best able to satisfy each request, resulting in better performance and reliability than ever before possible. This process, which uses standard Internet protocols, is transparent to all browsers and does not require any plug-ins or user configuration.
Akamai's Proof of Performance Guarantee
Because of FreeFlow's intelligence and Akamai's huge network reach, the company offers an unprecedented guarantee to every customer. Called "Proof of Performance," Akamai's offer guarantees:
1. Performance Enhancement: FreeFlow will deliver content faster than the customer's own server does, each and every day.
2. 100% Uptime: FreeFlow will serve content all the time, without exceptions.
If Akamai fails to meet either of these standards, the customer doesn't pay for the day in which the failure occurs. Before today, no company has ever offered such a comprehensive, no-excuses commitment to delivering Internet content worldwide.
The Akamai Network
To date, the company has deployed over 600 servers on 20 networks and has a total capacity of over 11 gigabits per second-enough throughput to support the peak demand of the world's 25 top Web sites combined. This massive deployment is important to customers for two reasons. First, a diverse network presence gives FreeFlow many options for routing content if some networks are overloaded or out of service. Second, Akamai's broad reach ensures servers are always physically close to end users, so Web requests don't travel long distances to be served.
Akamai's network is "fault-tolerant," or self-correcting in the event of failure. Recognizing that no architecture can ensure the availability of any particular component, FreeFlow's designers, working initially at MIT's famed Laboratory for Computer Science, developed a distributed system with no central control. Because of this approach, when individual servers, data centers, or even entire backbones fail, FreeFlow continues to deliver content on behalf of Akamai's customers around the clock.
The FreeFlow Sales Proposition
Because FreeFlow requires no new software or hardware for Web site owners or end users, the service is extremely easy to trial. First, Akamai and the customer enter into a 14-day evaluation period. During this test, the customer selects content to distribute using FreeFlow, and runs FreeFlow Launcher, Akamai's setup utility, for the appropriate Web pages. Customers may Akamaize as little or as much content as they wish during the evaluation period.
To help the customer assess FreeFlow's performance during the evaluation period, Akamai contracts with Keynote Systems, a third-party measurement service. Based on the testing done by this independent authority, the customer is able to evaluate the speed and reliability improvements of FreeFlow. The results show exactly how FreeFlow performed using live traffic, and are compared with the customer's existing processes.
"Give us a call, and we'll have you up and running the same day," said Earl Galleher, Akamai's Vice President of Sales and Distribution. "It's a great way for eBusinesses to benchmark site performance and see the benefits of FreeFlow firsthand, with no pain and no risk.
Pricing
FreeFlow customers pay only for the network resources they use -- no capital investment is required. Usage charges are priced according to megabits per second of content served. Customers commit to a minimum usage level and may "burst" above this commitment. Monthly pricing begins at $2,000 per megabit per second, with discounts for volume usage.
About Akamai
Akamai Technologies is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has offices in San Mateo and Cupertino, California, and Europe. Akamai is the leader in distributed content, streaming media, and applications delivery, serving over 225 of the Web's most popular properties including over 100 leading e-commerce companies. Akamai has deployed the broadest global network for content, streaming media, and applications delivery with more than 2000 servers in over 40 countries directly connected to more than 100 different telecommunications networks. Akamai (pronounced AH kuh my) is Hawaiian for intelligent, clever and cool.
