To reach a Colgate University dorm room, the feed need only travel from the campus's Internet gateway. Normally, it would have to circuit its way through the Net all the way from Tampa. Think of the advantages of flying to an airport and taking a taxi from there, instead of driving the whole way. The taxi may hit traffic or make a wrong turn, but it's less likely to do so than the car that travels the entire route. Akamai takes a slightly different approach.
Users then access the closest machines, bypassing potential choke points.
It's like a bank operating branches rather than making everyone visit a central office. Akamai used that approach for the second Webcast by Victoria's Secret. Kenneth Weil, vice president of new media at Victoria's Secret, expects further tweaks for future shows until online video begins to resemble television. MTV's online division uses both iBeam and Akamai for shows like the My VH1 Music Awards, which had backstage interviews and other features not available on the cable TV broadcast. Nicholas Butterworth, president and chief executive of the MTVi Group, said that by delivering content closer to the users, MTV doesn't have to waste resources resending lost data.