Akamai, Brightcove Seed HD Video In The Cloud

Akamai's global network of distributed servers will soon carry high definition video prepared for delivery over Brightcove's video platform, according to an announcement from the two firms Wednesday.

Both firms are leaders in their respective technology sectors and they plan to begin offering their new bundled Internet service to businesses and other organizations beginning this fall. They are pitching the new offering as a cloud-based technology.

"We've already seen a tipping point with adoption of high definition video online, and now we're seeing similar customer interest in seamless ways for enterprises big and small to use video to attract, engage, and retain online audiences," said Paul Sagan, Akamai's president and CEO, in a statement.

Akamai provides a robust HD network with tens of thousands of HTTP servers located strategically in diverse internet service provider networks, including at the edge of the internet. Brightcove's platform delivers video content management, encoding, publishing, monetization, and analytics. Its Brightcove Alliance, which Akamai now joins, includes more than 200 global partners who have integrated with Brightcove's video platform. Users can tap onto the alliance for expert advice and services to utilize the new network.

"Online video has become as ubiquitous as text on the web, creating increased demand for high quality video experiences across all screens," said Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove's chairman and CEO. The Brightcove platform will deliver adaptive bit rate video across Flash and iOS devices.

The two companies noted that they already have a combined customer base of media, e-commerce, small business, and enterprise companies. Akamai and Brightcove are located near each other in Cambridge, Mass., and have partnered informally for years.