Managerial Applications of Information Technology Content Delivery Networks

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Content Delivery Networks

IS535 Managerial Applications of Information Technology

Keller Graduate School of Management

Content Delivery Networks

Abstract

Maintaining a high traffic website is much more than the design and content. There are many other business and technical issues that need to be resolved or in motion during creation and execution. But once the site is live, the more exposure it gains, the more the owner needs to worry about how well the site will hold up against the new demands. By integrating a content delivery network, one would be able to help alleviate some of that concern by spacing out and replicating the content provided. Doing so allows quicker access to information on the site as well as cutting down lag or any bandwidth overloads. Maximizing the end user experience will strengthen the brand the website owner is trying to create.

Company Background

Problem

The owner is looking to expand the brand as well as expand into other areas of pop culture now that he has grown his brand to over 3 million unpaid subscribers in under 3 years. Currently his concerns are with the topics he wants to introduce versus what he has asked the subscribers what they want to see. Those topics are vast in subject which leads to plenty of content yet to be created. More content being accessed by millions of people could lead to infrastructure problems that in part, may be unforeseen.

He has realized that he is quickly growing out of his current set up and that if he wants to expand, he needs to expand his IT structure as well. Though money is not an issue, he is a smart business man and wants to invest wisely. He is ready to take a risk with expansion but only a carefully calculated one. While he is perfectly happy with his current operation, this is a source of entertainment for him not an active money making avenue. When he is ready to focus on the more technological aspect of this expansion, I will introduce to him a solution involving the use of a CDN to help prevent what I see as future potential problems.

Solution

Considering my client views this venture in a purely entertainment manner, he already has limits set in his mind about how far he is willing to take to this. Because I am privy to the generality of these limits, I would propose that he incorporate a customized content delivery network (CDN) to his existing infrastructure. A customized network allows him to expand now while putting in place a network that will grow with his whims without a second thought. Because his brand has reached global masses, he would be able to configure this network in a way that concentrates on the areas of the world that he has more followers while maintaining his presence. Since CDN’s can be cloud based, all he would need to be concerned with is what type of network architecture he is comfortable with using. The space needed would now be insignificant thanks to the infinite nature of cloud technology.

A content delivery network is a web based system dedicated to efficiently delivering stored files used on a website. This network is configured to mirror the data over several web servers. (GRIDS Laboratory Australia, 2006) CDN’s are more commonly used for large graphic or video files but are limited as such. Websites without this network have to rely on origin servers for delivery. More often than not, those servers house other websites as well. Because of this and other reasons, end users could experience errors or latency when accessing their desired information. Too many errors or any lag in delivery may result in a lost user.

CDN’s are a way for website owners to improve their users’ experience by providing information to the masses with very little latency. The reduction in latency leads to lower operating costs. This can include data center capacity, electricity consumption and lower bandwidth costs. (IETF.ORG, 2012) The content desired is stored on a the dedicated server, separate from the website server usually as a stand alone network. More than likely, your CDN is located separately from your origin server. That sepration could also provide an extra level of security or prevention when protecting your subject matter.

Benefits

The end game of any online venture is traffic. Google, arguably the most used search engine in the world,