Content delivery network: RSAWEB's AfriCDN, giving it a go
Note: I have left this year for reference but AfriCDN no longer exists. To be honest, I do not think it ever got off the ground.
I've been looking around for a content delivery network that has a point I presence (POP) in South Africa for quite a while now without much success.
What is a content delivery network or CDN?
A CDN is basically a network of servers that delivers media and static content to users as close to their geographical location as possible. A real-world example of this would be buying a pizza: naturally, it would be quicker and easier to buy it from the pizza place down the road than the one on a different continent; this is the same principle of a content delivery network in delivering your content to your visitors.
I have looked at a few solutions from international companies that have huge accounts and thus have brilliant systems in place. Some of these companies are Limelight, Akamai and CDNetworks; all of whom have a POP in South Africa. The issue with them is that they have minimum data traffic of 1TB per month with pricing starting at $800 per month. That's fine for a start-up with big backing and big companies like Facebook etc. but I don't know of too many websites outside the top 1000 in SA that have that much traffic every month.
There is also someone like Amazon who charges ridiculously low rates unfortunately don't have a POP in South Africa.
In walks AfriCDN, a locally bred content delivery network
So this is where RSAWEB comes into the picture. They're a local South African company with a great reputation and have launched a product called AfriCDN (a content delivery network). AfriCDN has two POPs in South Africa and then two in Europe and then one in the US.
However, what's really great is that they offer a great entry-level deal that allows new startups and smaller websites to reach their international audience in an enhanced way. The base package/tier is R499 p/m for 100GB of data transfer.
I can't say much about how well their product works as I'm in the process of organising a trial from them. I'll give you feedback as soon as I know and have tested it but I do expect something really good from them.
Know any other local content delivery network solutions other than AfriCDN? Let me know in the comments below.