Microsoft cuddles cloudy content with CDN deal

Akamai, Redmond link arms in bit-farms

Microsoft has inked a deal with Akamai to integrate its content delivery network (CDN) into the Azure cloud platform.

The idea is to give Azure customers easy sign-on for Akamai services, either as a check-box on their Azure portal or under a Microsoft enterprise agreement.

The Azure CDN, Redmond says in this missive, provides “content delivery both using the cloud and tailored for cloud platform customers”.

That post, by Sudheer Sirivara (partner director, Azure Media and Azure CDN services), adds that Microsoft reckons the tie-up will be particularly attractive in Latin America and Asia.

There's also a sop to government customers, with Sirivara noting that “both platforms have achieved the FedRAMP, JAB’s [the Joint Authorisation Board's - Ed] highest certification”.

The agreement also gives Azure customers access to Akamai acceleration and security products, also under one Microsoft enterprise agreement.

Microsoft plans to add the Akamai products to its Azure portal early in 2016, and “targeted enterprises” will start getting access to Akamai-based “Microsoft first-party services for CDN, acceleration and security” from next month. ®