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CDN SECURITY CompARISON №7
Google Cloud CDN VS Akamai CDN
According to research, there were approximately 2.9 million DDoS attacks in the Q1 of 2021, which is 31% more than in the same period of 2020. Thus, setting up a solid defense against DDoS attacks becomes of ultimate importance.
A CDN is a great solution to this issue as it redistributes traffic across numerous servers around the world. So, when your website is hit by a massive amount of bot traffic, content delivery networks ensure that it doesn't reach your original server and cause downtime.
Nowadays there are numerous CDNs to choose from and it has become a challenge to find your provider. In this article, we want to ease the choice for you by comparing two major CDNs - Akamai and CDN Cloud from Google. Akamai is the oldest global CDN and it is believed to have the most servers around the globe. Cloud CDN uses global Google edge points to deliver the content. So what is better for your company in terms of ease, scalability, pricing, and security?
A CDN is a great solution to this issue as it redistributes traffic across numerous servers around the world. So, when your website is hit by a massive amount of bot traffic, content delivery networks ensure that it doesn't reach your original server and cause downtime.
Nowadays there are numerous CDNs to choose from and it has become a challenge to find your provider. In this article, we want to ease the choice for you by comparing two major CDNs - Akamai and CDN Cloud from Google. Akamai is the oldest global CDN and it is believed to have the most servers around the globe. Cloud CDN uses global Google edge points to deliver the content. So what is better for your company in terms of ease, scalability, pricing, and security?
Which solution is better?
Deployment and setup
A Google Cloud CDN is undoubtedly a winner here. Google is known for its user-friendly services and its CDN did not become an exception. You can enable it with just one click, after setting up HTTP(S) load balancing. Those who already use Google Cloud Services will have no trouble navigating the system. It is also notable that their documentation is transparent, well-written, and publically available. There is a community to help you out with any questions as well.
Akamai is a bit more complicated CDN to set up and use, partly because there is not much content about it on the web, their documentation is difficult to navigate and oftentimes you will need assistance from their support. The support team is quite responsive though.
Akamai is a bit more complicated CDN to set up and use, partly because there is not much content about it on the web, their documentation is difficult to navigate and oftentimes you will need assistance from their support. The support team is quite responsive though.
Scalability and flexibility
You can scale as much as you want with these CDNs seamlessly because they charge for the services you use rather than offering set plans.
Both CDNs have an enormous reach around the globe so you will be able to deliver content fast in any region. However, Akamai does have an upper hand here because it has more servers and delivers content faster, especially when it comes to videos and live videos.
Both CDNs have an enormous reach around the globe so you will be able to deliver content fast in any region. However, Akamai does have an upper hand here because it has more servers and delivers content faster, especially when it comes to videos and live videos.
Google Cloud and Akamai CDN: Key Differences
Pricing
Both CDNs do not have set pricing plans. However, Google Cloud CDN are more transparent here: they have a table with all costs and a calculator to roughly estimate future cost.
With Akamai, you will have to contact sales representatives and the price will depend on bandwidth, geographic region, types of traffic, contract length, etc. Every pricing is totally custom. However, it is known that Akamai is more expensive than average solutions.
With Akamai, you will have to contact sales representatives and the price will depend on bandwidth, geographic region, types of traffic, contract length, etc. Every pricing is totally custom. However, it is known that Akamai is more expensive than average solutions.
Summary
Google Cloud CDN and Akamai are both established CDNs. However, they are fitting for different users. Google Cloud CDN will work better for small and mid-sized businesses and those who already use Google Cloud Services. Akamai is leaning more towards enterprises that need to handle big traffic spikes, have global coverage, and can afford the price of quick content delivery. Akamai is also very strong with security: it was the first CDN to introduce DDoS protection and WAF. Their security feature, Kona Site Defender, provides protection from numerous threats.
Cyberlands.io Team