A Smarter Content Delivery Network

CacheFlow says that its cIQ Content Delivery Architecture uses software to make intelligent decisions about content distribution, adapting on the fly to usage patterns, and also uses software to make the CDN easier to deploy and manage.

by Wayne Kawamoto [February 15, 2001]

CacheFlow recently unveiled its cIQ Content Delivery Architecture. Cacheflow says this flexible new architecture allows managed service providers to realize new revenue opportunities, improve internal and external communications, drive competitive differentiation, and maximize customer satisfaction.

Also, businesses may be able to enhance their existing infrastructures to support the demands of streaming, Web, and dynamic application content and deliver next generation enterprise services such as executive streaming broadcasts, e-learning and training, intranet and application content delivery, and secure business-to-business content exchange.

CacheFlow claims that its cIQ Content Delivery Architecture combines the essential components of a content delivery network (CDN) (including content delivery, content distribution management, content routing and content tracking) with the patent-pending algorithms and extensible protocols of cIQ. This combination enables networks to intelligently communicate between devices, adapt to usage patterns, and personalize content.

Using the new extensible protocols and toolkits, customers and partners may be able to integrate storage systems, publishing environments, billing and reporting systems and network monitoring and tracking systems. In addition, customers may be able to program their own business content and user policies, including content customization, transformation and filtering policies into a cIQ-powered network to drive competitive differentiation and advanced value-added service offerings.

CacheFlow's cIQ Content Delivery Architecture consists of the following components:

1. cIQ Director—designed to enable customers to extend and manage their content network from back-end operations-including modules for storage, publishing, network management and billing and reporting - to the users at the edge. CacheFlow's new second-generation, open content management platform, cIQ Director is supposed to provide a single, extensible point of control for a content delivery network. The simple-to-manage appliance may offer complete, policy-based control over distribution of static, streaming, and secure content.
2. cIQ Storage Synchronization Module for EMC—integrates cIQ-powered networks with EMC CLARiiON networked storage devices to guarantee that Web and multimedia content updates are automatically synchronized across a content delivery network.
3. cIQ Streaming Services—designed to enhance existing network infrastructure for delivering high-quality streaming media, including support for Real, Microsoft Media and Apple QuickTime and MPEG 4. Integration with cIQ Director provides the capability to distribute and manage streaming content.
4. cIQ Edge Accelerators—designed to ensure fast, reliable content delivery with CacheFlow's optimized appliances for accelerating content to end users, efficiently utilizing WAN resources, improving employee productivity, and delivering mission-critical content.
5. cIQ Server Accelerators—designed to offload Web servers from content delivery and security tasks to potentially enhance Web site performance and scalability by up to 10 times.

"Deploying a centrally managed content delivery network will enable corporations and managed service providers to efficiently deliver rich content and maximize the end-users' quality of experience," said Peter Firstbrook, research analyst at Meta Group.

Availability and pricing
The cIQ Director will be available in March through CacheFlow and its channel partners.

Pricing will depend on the number of appliances managed.

—End