What is an Enterprise Content Delivery Network?

An Enterprise CDN, or E-CDN, is a special network technology that optimises the streaming of videos and other media content on internal networks. An ECDN helps businesses and organisations meet the bandwidth demands of high-definition livestreaming and on-demand content without compromising available internet bandwidth.

Challenges at Townhalls with a high number of attendees:
Bandwidth Bottlenecks

However, the demand for bandwidth can quickly exceed the available resources for events that have a high number of attendees. For example, a one gigabit (1 Gbit/s) internet connection can serve a maximum of 500 viewers simultaneously in HD quality.

That’s where enterprise CDNs come in, which can address this challenge by downloading each stream only once to the internal corporate network and distributing it from there, where the network is usually faster than the internet.

What are the different types of enterprise CDNs?

There are two common models of enterprise CDNs: the peer-to-peer based (P2P) and the server-based model:

Peer-to-Peer Enterprise CDN

A peer-to-peer (P2P) ECDN nowadays uses WebRTC technologies to provide a decentralised method of distributing content within a corporate network. WebRTC is an open source that is now supported by almost all browsers natively, i.e. without additional plug-ins. Using P2P E-CDN, the first viewer who starts the video on SlideSync acts as the starting point of a distribution chain. It shares the video with other computers on the network, which then continue to distribute the video. This is where we benefit from the integration of our livestreaming platform SlideSync with Hive Streaming’s leading peer-to-peer ECDN. For this method, the end devices only need to have a modern web browser to view and share the video. No additional software or network configuration is required.

How a peer-to-peer E-CDN is integrated into the enterprise

The implementation of a peer-to-peer E-CDN is done in 4 steps:

• Step 1 – Assessment: We assess basic compatibility. In order to do this, we need information about the target locations, the number of viewers and the type of web browsers used.
• Step 2 – Basic test: If we find no problems in step 1, we do a test run of 30 – 60 minutes with about 20 – 30 viewers. This test can also be carried out as a so-called “silent test”, which does not require any user interaction and thus saves staff capacity.
• Step 3 – first live event: The peer-to-peer CDN is used for a first event. Based on the experience, the configuration is debriefed and corrected.
• Step 4 – Rollout: We activate the option for your subscription. It can be used for all future events.

Enterprise CDN Appliance

Although peer-to-peer enterprise CDNs provide many benefits, in some cases they are not compatible with internal policies. ese cases, a server-based ECDN can be deployed, either as a virtual appliance (OVA) or as a compact 1U appliance. A single appliance can deliver high-definition streams to several thousand users thanks to 10 Gbps connectivity.

The advantages of ECDN

The cooperation with MediaEvent Services in the implementation of an ECDN also offers the following advantages for your company:

• Optimized streaming performance: Using our ECDN helps you reduce network bandwidth requirements while ensuring a premium streaming experience for your audience.
• Scalability: Adjust your network with Enterprise Content Delivery Network to accommodate increasing numbers of subscribers without reducing the performance of your network.
• Security and GDPR compliance: Our ECDN solutions always include transport encryption and are operated within your company and at designated locations within the EU.

Expand your corporate communications

Increase the level of your corporate communication with an ECDN implemented by MediaEvent Services. No matter if you use live webcasts, video conferences or other streaming formats – our ECDN ensures that your content is delivered efficiently and in high quality to your attendees.

Get advice today

Do you want to optimise your existing network or even build a new one?MediaEvent Services helps you to provide your ECDN and set it up in the best possible way for you. So get in touch with us today, and we’ll be happy to discuss your options in detail to maximise streaming in your company. Enter a new chapter towards an enhanced streaming experience with MediaEvent Services.