Microsoft and Akamai Partner on Azure CDN

Microsoft has partnered with Akamai to provide a Microsoft Azure CDN offering that leverages Akamai’s network.

The partnership is part of a strategy that Azure announced earlier this year that extended its CDN offering into Standard and Premium bundles.

The partnership announcement comes as Microsoft has reported its first-quarter FY2016 earnings where the company saw an 8 percent increase in cloud computing revenue.

Under the agreement, Akamai’s CDN capabilities will be integrated into the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, providing content delivery specifically designed for cloud platform customers. Azure customers will also benefit from an expanded global footprint, particularly in Latin America and Asia.

Customers will be able to purchase an Azure CDN offer and deploy it onto the Akamai Network architecture via the Azure portal in early 2016. A limited number of targeted customers will begin on Nov. 1.

Akamai and Microsoft have been long-term partners, recently teaming up as critical technology partners for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2015 NFL Super Bowl.