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CDN SECURITY CompARISON №6
Azure CDN VS Akamai CDN
A CDN is an indispensable tool for caching the static content of your website in data centers around the world. This results in the improved platform's performance as data is being served from the server which is close to the website visitor. However, during such a process your files are being stored on third-party servers. Thus, while choosing a CDN provider, special attention should be paid to its security.
There are plenty of options available on the market that work for businesses of different sizes and with different budgets. Akamai and Azure CDN are some of the most popular ones and in this article, we are going to compare them. We will assess their setup, scalability, pricing and put a particular emphasis on the security of these two solutions.
There are plenty of options available on the market that work for businesses of different sizes and with different budgets. Akamai and Azure CDN are some of the most popular ones and in this article, we are going to compare them. We will assess their setup, scalability, pricing and put a particular emphasis on the security of these two solutions.
Which solution is better?
Deployment and setup
Azure CDN offers a bit easier setup process. You have three major steps: profile creation, adding CDN endpoints, and enabling the caching. There are a lot of useful articles and videos to assist you in the process. You can contact their support via Twitter, community, or email but users claim that they take some time to get back to you.
Akamai's setup and deployment are more complicated because the documentation is difficult to navigate, there are no videos and blog articles on how to configure the service. You also must contact their sales representatives to start using the service. The good news is that their support team is very responsive and you can email or call them.
Akamai's setup and deployment are more complicated because the documentation is difficult to navigate, there are no videos and blog articles on how to configure the service. You also must contact their sales representatives to start using the service. The good news is that their support team is very responsive and you can email or call them.
Scalability and flexibility
You can scale as much as you want, as long as you are ready to cover the costs. Luckily, both services have enough global coverage to make that happen.
Azure CDN has 118 points of presence and is very well-known among the enterprises that already use Microsoft Azure Services.
Akamai is the oldest CDN and is the most respected one. They have more than 2700 servers globally and have great China coverage, which is bigger than in Azure. Their delivery is one of the fastest due to the density of presence and Akamai also offers one of the best security features out there.
Azure CDN has 118 points of presence and is very well-known among the enterprises that already use Microsoft Azure Services.
Akamai is the oldest CDN and is the most respected one. They have more than 2700 servers globally and have great China coverage, which is bigger than in Azure. Their delivery is one of the fastest due to the density of presence and Akamai also offers one of the best security features out there.
Pros and Cons
Azure CDN does a great job making your website fast and reliable, offers dynamic site acceleration, and allows the creation of custom cashing rules. Among the disadvantages of this CDN are a taught learning curve and expensive pricing.
Among the advantages of Akamai CDN are efficient content offloading, good page caching, and quick rollback. On the other hand, some users report having difficulties navigating the interface of this CDN.
Among the advantages of Akamai CDN are efficient content offloading, good page caching, and quick rollback. On the other hand, some users report having difficulties navigating the interface of this CDN.
Azure and Akamai CDN: Key Differences
Pricing
Both Azure CDN and Akamai do not have set pricing plans. They work on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Azure CDN is more open with their pricing: you can see services and their prices and use a cost calculator to roughly estimate the budget.
Akamai does not provide public information about its prices. Everything is negotiated individually at the meeting with a sales representative and the final costs depend on your traffic, location, length of the contract, etc. The prices of Akamai are above the average but they do offer sales.
Azure CDN is more open with their pricing: you can see services and their prices and use a cost calculator to roughly estimate the budget.
Akamai does not provide public information about its prices. Everything is negotiated individually at the meeting with a sales representative and the final costs depend on your traffic, location, length of the contract, etc. The prices of Akamai are above the average but they do offer sales.
Summary
Azure CDN and Akamai are established content delivery providers. Azure CDN will be a bit cheaper and more interesting and easy to use for the businesses who already work with other Azure services and are familiar with the interface. Akamai is a better option for enterprises that need top-notch speed, experience traffic spikes often, and look for the best solution in terms of security.
Cyberlands.io Team