We, as users, are consuming (and producing) more content than ever, Cisco predicts that “global Internet traffic in 2021 will be equivalent to 127 times the volume of the entire global Internet in 2005. Globally, Internet traffic will reach 30 GB per capita by 2021, up from 10 GB per capita in 2016.”

Being ready for anything is a tall order, particularly when it comes to managing the ebb and flow of global internet content delivery. Content delivery networks (CDNs) have long been the go-to for managing internet traffic, but as users demand seamless availability and speed in accessing content from all their devices, one single CDN provider is not always going to be able to guarantee best performance. Like a lot of these things, there are multiple considerations that go into best performance, like geography and the type of content being accessed. With a commercial, third-party CDN, many such key considerations are no longer in your hands.

You hear and read a lot these days about “taking back control of your content” … but are you really in control of your content when its delivery is in someone else’s hands? Or when you can’t decide how you want to manage the content and its delivery? Anyone who delivers copious amounts of content, has unconventional needs or wants to create a solution that works to the advantage and convenience of their own requirements will recognize that it’s kind of an adventure finding the right balance.

As marketers, we've been trained and gained experience in creating cross-platform content that will reach and hopefully engage potential users and maybe even, if we're creative enough, go viral. We're using our budgets and creativity to develop multimedia, integrated marketing and advertising campaigns... but do we factor in the technical challenges involved in ensuring the delivery and performance of this content?