Akamai Cloud, formerly Linode, offers a robust and globally distributed cloud computing platform designed to empower businesses and developers. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the building, deployment, and scaling of low-latency, edge-native applications across various industries.

The platform targets a wide audience, including enterprises, startups, and individual developers, particularly those focused on AI, media processing, e-commerce, gaming, and SaaS solutions, who require high performance, cost efficiency, and global reach.

Key Features:

• GPU Accelerated Compute with NVIDIA™ GPUs for AI and media workloads.
• Kubernetes App Platform and Linode Kubernetes Engine for container orchestration.
• Managed Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL) for simplified data management.
• Object Storage for high availability and durability.
• Global Scale and Cloud Portability to avoid vendor lock-in.
• Flat, predictable pricing with low egress fees and a free allowance.

Use Cases:

Akamai Cloud excels in scenarios requiring significant computational power and global distribution. For AI inferencing, it provides on-demand NVIDIA GPUs, enabling cost-effective and scalable execution of machine learning models. This is crucial for applications like image recognition, natural language processing, and real-time analytics. In the media industry, it supports demanding workloads such as video processing and streaming, ensuring low latency and high performance.

Businesses in e-commerce and gaming can leverage Akamai Cloud's distributed infrastructure to deploy applications closer to their users, significantly reducing latency and improving user experience. Its global data centers allow for scaling across key customer markets, ensuring seamless operation during peak demands. For SaaS providers, the platform offers the necessary tools and best practices for building portable, resilient, and high-performing applications, minimizing operational overhead and maximizing efficiency.

Pricing Information:

Akamai Cloud operates on a transparent, flat, and predictable pricing model, featuring low egress fees and a complimentary egress allowance. Users can estimate their costs using the online cloud computing calculator. New and existing enterprise customers may also qualify for up to US$5,000 in cloud credits to explore the platform's capabilities.

User Experience and Support:

The platform is supported by an award-winning team of highly trained service professionals, offering expert advice and assistance. A comprehensive Developer Hub provides extensive documentation, guides, and API endpoints, making it easier for developers to get started and integrate services. The focus is on providing a supportive environment for building and managing cloud infrastructure.

Technical Details:

Akamai Cloud supports a wide range of cloud computing foundations, including virtual machines (VMs), containers, block and object storage, and managed databases. It leverages NVIDIA GPUs for accelerated computing and offers a managed Kubernetes engine for container orchestration, catering to modern application architectures.

Pros:

• Cost-effective with transparent, predictable pricing and low egress fees.
• Exceptional global distribution and low-latency performance.
• Powerful GPU acceleration for AI and media workloads.
• Strong emphasis on cloud portability, reducing vendor lock-in.
• Comprehensive suite of compute, storage, networking, and database services.
• Award-winning customer support and extensive developer documentation.

Cons:

• New users might face a learning curve when transitioning from other cloud providers.
• While offering portability, migration efforts are still required for complex setups.
• Specific niche integrations might require custom solutions.

Conclusion:

Akamai Cloud stands out as a powerful, cost-efficient, and globally distributed platform, particularly well-suited for modern applications demanding AI/GPU capabilities and low latency. Its commitment to predictable pricing and portability makes it an attractive alternative for businesses looking to optimize their cloud infrastructure. Explore Akamai Cloud today to unlock new possibilities for your applications.