Akamai Adds Digital Rights Management

Content delivery specialist Akamai Technologies is integrating digitalrights management into its media delivery services, meaning that usersnow can not only use the Akamai network to speed the download of audioand video files, but also to protect those files from misuse and trackwho accesses them.

On Monday, Akamai announced updates to its Akamai Media Deliveryservice, including Akamai License Delivery for Windows Media DigitalRights Management. Akamai is integrating Windows Media Digital RightsManagement into its service in response to a growing demand fromcustomers, who are putting more content in digital format, says KieranTaylor, Akamai’s director of product management.

“They want bit delivery, but beyond that they want to be able to billfor content, accept payment for content, deliver licenses for consumersto actually view content,” Taylor says.

Akamai has had a media delivery service for some time, pushing audioand video files out to its network of more than 16,000 edge serversworldwide in order to speed delivery. But customers had to manage thedigital licenses that protect content on their own.

With Akamai License Delivery for Windows Media Digital RightsManagement, customers won’t have to maintain a separate infrastructureor contract with another provider for license delivery, Taylor says.

“When they come to Akamai they will bypass all that capacity planning and all that infrastructure deployment,” he says.

Instead, Akamai will provide that infrastructure on demand, Taylor says.

A senior technology executive at a large media and entertainmentcompany uses Akamai for content distribution, but uses DRM specialistEntriq to track and protect content downloads.

“Even Akamai will say that Entriq’s solution is more advanced rightnow,” says the IT executive, who asked not to be named. “Entriq remainsan important partner to Akamai, in fact. However, I’m interested [inAkamai’s new DRM service] because with Akamai it would be more tightlyintegrated to delivery, and I’d concentrate more business with them andprobably get a cost advantage.”

“I am less interested in the higher-value services Entriq offers, andreally just want someone to serve tons of licenses for me, which Ithink Akamai can do more effectively in the long run,” he says.

Akamai also is updating its media delivery services with support fordelivery of live media entertainment via Macromedia Flash. In the past,Akamai supported only static Flash delivery.

Further, Akamai is integrating reporting and tracking technology it acquired with Speedera into its management portal.

By Jennifer Mears – Network World (US online)