Network connections

Wearables will put Internet under strain, warns Akamai

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23 October 2014

Akamai, a cloud services provider that handles nearly a third of global internet traffic, is concerned that wearable technology is going to put a huge strain on its content delivery network.

Connected wearable devices such as the Apple Watch and Google Glass stand to significantly increase the amount of data flowing over the internet and this could clog Akamai’s data pipe if steps aren’t taken early, said John Dillon, VP of marketing in EMEA at Akamai.

Speaking at the Glazed wearables conference in East London today, he said Akamai is starting to look at how to open up the pipes through the introduction of different network protocols, mesh networking and working with chip manufacturers.
Akamai’s network is not yet at fully capacity but serious problems could arise within five years if steps aren’t taken now, he added.

Up until now Akamai has dealt with increases in data traffic by deploying more servers and higher bandwidth connectivity.

“We can’t continue throwing more resources at the problem, which is what we’ve done till today,” said Dillon. “What’s required is a different way of thinking.”

Redg Snodgrass, CEO of Wearable World, an organisation aiming to drive wearables and the internet of things, said there is a data apocalypse coming and it’s good to see that Akamai is looking at what steps can be taken to avoid this.

Techworld

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