Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

January 13, 2012

Top Reasons to Use a Content Delivery Network

If you’re like us, you’ve probably heard opinions from so-called “Web Professionals” that run the gambit and back where content delivery networks are concerned. Sure, you could make the argument that they’re a total waste of time, and expenses, sapping your vital web budget for an infinitesimal gain in performance. Of course, there’s also the evangelists out there that claim a content delivery network can provide you with a dozen miracles for every dime. So where does the truth actually lie? To be fair, somewhere in the middle. However, there are definite benefits to owning a content delivery network, or having one attached to your media. In fact, we’d go so far as to say every industry-leading webmaster should have one associated with their Internet content. Why would we dare to be so bold? Well, pony up, Cowboy: We’re about to dive into our top reasons why you need a content delivery network backing your data. But first, how about a short description of the technology itself, in case you’re a little confused?

So What is a Content Delivery Network?

Web hosting should first be thought of like this: Typically, all of your server data is stored on a single server somewhere, whether that’s in your company’s basement, or potentially elsewhere in the country on your hosting provider’s network. Either way, all of your data is located at a single, central point, and all of your user’s must call to this point to access your data. It’s a bit like having only one Starbucks, say the original one in Seattle. Everyone that wants Starbucks has to travel to Seattle to get it. This is, more or less, how traditional web hosting works.

Content delivery networks, on the other hand, are the expansion of the original Starbucks store. A content delivery network takes all of your data, copies its format, and then spreads it out to potentially hundreds, or even thousands, of other points all around the globe. If we’re sticking to the coffee shop metaphor, it’s the new Starbucks on every corner. Now, when your users want your media, they travel to the nearest server (or coffee shop) receiving their desired content with far less of a wait. Best of all, unlike our Starbucks metaphor your users don’t have to think about which server their accessing. Your content delivery provider handles all of this for you, using intelligent IP routing. All in all, just remember that content delivery systems work by copying your data, sharing it to thousands of other servers, and then routing your customers to those servers in a smart way.

But what are the actual benefits of this kind of set-up?

1.  Quick Delivery:

By and far the largest benefit touted by content delivery providers is the speed at which your content will be delivered to your consumers. After all, the whole idea behind content delivery systems is locating your media closer to the original point of content request, shortening the physical distance between the two points, and guaranteeing a shorter load time. As such, all of your media will arrive at the end-user’s door much faster than if you were still only using one server located at a central point. That being said, the actual time benefits from this are somewhat negotiable. For your users within the continental United States (let’s say in Illinois) a server in Chicago will not necessarily deliver your media faster than a server in the Silicon Valley. However, for a user in Sri Lanka, a server in nearby Dubai will provide a performance level several times greater than a server located in California. In essence, those who have truly expanded to mammoth proportions across a global scale will benefit most from a content delivery network’s speed increase, but even the smallest of users will still gain something.

2.  Scalability:

However, speed isn’t the only reason we recommend you have a content delivery network: In fact, it’s only one of many. One of our favorite reasons to use a CDN is the scalability such a service offers. With a content delivery provider backing your data, and storing it on thousands of servers around the world, you’ll be able to benefit from a monumental amount of scalability. This means that, even during peak hours, your content will be delivered just as quickly as a non-peak hour. Let’s go back to our Starbucks metaphor to explain this: Let’s say there’s still just one outlet in Seattle, and all of a sudden, there’s a lunch rush. That single store (which in this example is your hosting provider’s server) will be overloaded with customers, and might potentially shut down. However, with thousands of branches open nationwide, users can still rush to their coffee at noon, but the load has been diminished almost to the point of invisibility. In much the same way, by directing your users to the closest server, a content delivery network allows you to scale up performance when its needed, but also scale it back when it isn’t. This is dynamic, energy-efficient, and could potentially save you some down-time. On that note—

3.  Goodbye Downtime:

With a content delivery network, you will never again have to worry about down-time. Because your data has been stored on servers all around the world, you will never have to worry about your content disappearing. Even if a single server should vanish temporarily, or experience some seriously disastrous problems, there are still hundreds of other nearby branches waiting to handle your consumers’ requests. This is, in our eyes, one of the best reasons to use a content delivery provider: Having the peace of mind to know that your content is always around can be a real stress reliever, especially if your business relies on a constant Web presence to be successful. All in all, that’s the real message behind our recommending a CDN. If you’re looking for peace of mind and a little business harmony, there’s really no better way to achieve it than through a content delivery network.

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