Customers need both sides of the equation, and are ultimately likely to select a single company to do both, the hosters contend. Akamai, with only its decentralized network, can't do this as well as the companies that have both, he added. Building the faster Net, again Analysts say Akamai's EdgeSuite, which is just beginning to resonate with big Web site clients, marks a significant step forward in the way the Net is organized. Most of the time, this extra power went unused, however. Moving much of the processing power needed to support this peak demand closer to the user is more efficient, according to technologists, and allows it to be shared with multiple customers.
Centralized servers have to be able to support a near-unlimited number of people at once.
A machine inside an ISP's network only has to serve the people that use that ISP, so peak demand will never be as high. That, and the prospect of significantly reducing the number of people that tend the machines, is attracting customers quickly. Motley Fool Chief Technical Officer Dwight Gibbs says he's testing Akamai's newest service, and plans to move 80 percent to 90 percent of his traffic to Akamai, away from conventional hosting services. This number rises as more of the processing power involved in serving a Web page can be moved into the decentralized networks. Akamai's financial figures underscore the effect its technology is having on the market.