Content networks deliver on-demand apps

Once limited to Web content and images, content delivery network providers are shifting focus to tackle the on-demand delivery of distributed applications. To that end, Akamai Technologies this week plans to introduce four J2EE-based Web applications that enterprises can deploy quickly without purchasing any hardware or fixed assets. Meanwhile, Speedera Networks next week will launch its FlexComputing service for distributed application hosting and delivery.

Akamai’s new Web applications, offered through its EdgeComputing service, address common computing-intensive services such as site search and processes including user prioritization and registration.

Through an existing partnership with IBM, Akamai runs WebSphere app servers on its distributed overlay network of servers. This enables the Akamai network to take on Java application processing, said Kieran Taylor, director of product management at Akamai.

Other offerings for on-demand computing address scalability and processing, Taylor said. Akamai’s ability to push application processing closer to end-users overcomes a key issue of performance, he said.

“No one else provides processing where you need it. We have a distributed network of servers located around the world; we can provide that,” Taylor said.

The J2EE-based applications include Lucene, an open source site search application that allows the processing of all searches to take place on Akamai’s own network.

“There is the whole issue of how to handle provisioning, management, load balancing and design with a high anticipated performance load. With their network capabilities [Akamai is] positioning that as helping power these services,” said Sandra Rogers, an analyst at IDC.

The other applications launched this week are User Prioritization, which prioritizes access to back-end applications for site visitors making a purchase; Online Registration, which ensures the collection of registration data; and Contest, which allows site promotions to be run entirely on Akamai’s network.

Speedera’s new FlexComputing service allows enterprises to deploy applications on its distributed network, tapping the benefits of capacity on demand, and increasing scalability and reliability. In addition, dynamic content can be created on application servers at Points of Presence on Speedera’s network. FlexComputing lets businesses plug into an application utility, which provides bandwidth, and storage on demand, with pricing based on usage.

Later this month, Netli, plans to announce the NetliOffload service, to improve distributed Web application performance by managing offloaded files out of central repositories and those cached at the edge of the network.