The complete guide to Enterprise Content Delivery Networks: eCDN providers, benefits, and features to look for

Why eCDNs matter

What is eCDN?

An Enterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN) is a subtype of a traditional Content Delivery Network (CDN) that leverages private networks to help organizations optimize the distribution of video content. There are currently multiple eCDN providers on the market, and the goal of this guide is to help you navigate this often complex landscape by outlining the pros and cons of different technologies. 

Who are eCDN solutions for?

eCDN solutions are purpose-built for large enterprises looking to scale video delivery optimization across their business. They’ve become a critical component of the enterprise tech stack, with remote work and the demand for high-quality corporate video streaming leading to their increased adoption.

Although eCDN solutions are typically thought to be most beneficial to large enterprises, an increasing number of mid-sized (and even smaller) businesses have begun adapting eCDNs to improve digital employee experience and make the most of their existing infrastructure, without the need for additional network investments.

What are the main benefits of an eCDN?

• Reduced bandwidth constraint
• Better video quality
• Higher engagement
• Increased reach
• Lower costs
• Stronger security

Getting started with eCDN providers

What can eCDN solutions be used for?

• Internal and corporate comms
• Digital workplace optimization
• Live virtual events

Are all eCDN providers the same?

• Multicast
• P2P (peer-to-peer streaming)
• CachingMulticast

Multicast is a technology that allows the transmission of data to multiple recipients with a single data stream. This can be useful for businesses with a large number of users who need to access the same content simultaneously, such as live video streams. However, multicast requires special network configuration and hardware, and may not be feasible for all businesses due to its higher cost.

Caching

Caching, on the other hand, involves storing content locally on a server or device, which can help reduce bandwidth usage and improve the performance of frequently accessed content. This can be a good option for businesses with a limited budget or those looking for a simple and straightforward solution. However, caching may not be as effective for larger files or content that is not frequently accessed.

P2P (peer-to-peer)

P2P, or peer-to-peer, is another eCDN technology that is gaining popularity in the enterprise space. With P2P, content is delivered from multiple sources (peers) rather than a single server, which can help reduce the load on the network and improve performance. P2P also offers greater scalability and flexibility than multicast, as it does not require specialized hardware or network configuration. Additionally, P2P can be more cost-effective for businesses with a large number of geographically dispersed users.

Overall, while each eCDN technology has its own benefits, P2P is increasingly being recognized as the preferred option for businesses. With its scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, P2P offers a compelling solution for companies looking to improve the delivery of media-rich content to their users.

Can I use an eCDN alongside my event platform?

Yes – but it may depend on the solution you choose. While some eCDN providers have purpose-built solutions to support a specific platform, others can be easily integrated with multiple live event platforms and run on several at the same time.

Expert tip: Look for an eCDN that can be easily integrated with multiple virtual event platforms and speak to vendors about the quality and support of the integration.

Whether you have (or are thinking about getting) a subscription for Microsoft Teams, Kaltura, Notified, Workplace from Meta, or any other live event platform, an eCDN is a great integration option to further optimize your comms thanks to multiplatform support.

Which eCDN providers should my business choose?

• Budget and pricing
• Desired use cases
• Network topology/configuration

eCDN cost savings

It goes without saying that eCDN solutions represent a huge commercial opportunity for enterprises. In a challenging macroeconomic environment, they’ve been proven to save businesses thousands in IT & Infrastructure costs, as well as increasing productivity and quality of experience for employees.

eCDN technology can help enterprises save on bandwidth costs by reducing the amount of traffic that goes through the internet backbone. By routing traffic through local servers, eCDN reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted over long distances, resulting in lower bandwidth costs.

When will I start seeing ROI?

The time it takes to see ROI on your eCDN investment will depend on a variety of factors, including the size and complexity of your organization, the types of content you are delivering, and the level of usage of your eCDN solution.

Generally speaking, many businesses begin to see a positive return on investment within the first 6-12 months of deploying an eCDN solution. This can be due to a variety of factors, including reduced bandwidth usage, improved content delivery speeds, and increased user engagement with media-rich content.

To maximize your ROI on your eCDN investment, it’s important to carefully evaluate your unique requirements and choose a solution that aligns with your business objectives and priorities. This may involve working closely with your eCDN provider to ensure that the solution is properly configured and optimized for your network and content delivery needs.

While the exact timeline for ROI on an eCDN investment will vary from organization to organization, many businesses find that the benefits of enhanced content delivery and reduced bandwidth costs make eCDN a smart investment in the long run.

Another area of potential cost savings with eCDN – or, rather, financial loss prevention – is ensuring that the network bandwidth you have is sufficient to handle video traffic generated by hundreds (or even thousands!) of concurrent viewers during an internal live event. Use our handy Risk Calculator above to get an instant estimate of how much cash is at stake every time you run a corporate live event without the safety net of an eCDN, depending on how many employees are expected to attend.

Are eCDN providers secure? 

When it comes to enterprise content delivery, security is always a top concern. With sensitive information being shared and accessed across corporate networks, it’s essential that any eCDN solution be as secure as possible.

eCDN technology provides an additional layer of security to digital content delivery by encrypting data in transit. This ensures that content is protected from interception and tampering, providing peace of mind for enterprises and their users.

Among the available eCDN options, P2P is considered to be the most secure, followed by caching and multicast.

Security in P2P (peer-to-peer) eCDN technology 

One of the key advantages of P2P eCDN technology is that it offers enhanced security compared to other options like multicast or caching. This is because P2P is based on a decentralized architecture, where content is distributed across multiple peers rather than being stored on a single server or cache.

This decentralized approach to content delivery means that P2P is inherently more resilient to attacks and outages. In a traditional server-based architecture, a single point of failure can bring down the entire system. But with P2P, if one peer goes down, the content can still be delivered from other available peers, ensuring continuity of service.

P2P also offers improved security through its use of encryption and other security protocols. Because content is distributed across multiple peers, it’s more difficult for attackers to intercept or manipulate data in transit. Additionally, P2P networks often use advanced encryption and authentication mechanisms to ensure that only authorized peers can access content.

Overall, P2P eCDN technology is the most secure option for companies looking to deliver media-rich content to their employees. Its decentralized architecture, resilience to attacks and outages, and use of advanced security protocols all contribute to a more secure and reliable content delivery solution.

The Hive Streaming eCDN

How Hive eCDN works

Hive offers one of the industry’s most advanced eCDNs — purpose-built for the enterprise. Using peer-to-peer technology, Hive’s software-only solution leverages the viewers themselves to cache live streamed content — serving it directly to other viewers within the same LAN via smart, self-organizing, and secure peering.

Thanks to self-organizing video optimization algorithms, our solution doesn’t require specific network planning or provisioning. What’s more, Hive also automatically scales with however many employees you’re streaming to.

eCDN + digital experience analytics 

• In-depth video performance insights
• Granular analytics, down to individual user device 
• Overview of usage/adoption over time
• Network bandwidth savings
• Quality of video experience
• Viewer engagement throughout each event