The launch of Gecko is Akamai’s initiative to extend its edge-computing platform capabilities.
Akamai announced the launch of its Gecko “Generalised Edge Compute” platform. This new initiative will increase the company’s cloud-computing network with an additional 10 regions worldwide in the first quarter of this year and then another 75 throughout the rest of the year.
Akamai co-founder and CEO Tom Leighton, said,“Gecko is the most exciting thing to happen to the cloud in a decade. It’s the next phase of the roadmap toward a more connected cloud we laid out when we acquired Linode to add cost-effective, cloud-native computing capabilities to our portfolio. We began delivering on that roadmap with the launch of Akamai Connected Cloud and the rapid rollout of new core computing regions around the world. With Gecko, we’re furthering that vision by combining the computing power of our cloud platform with the proximity and efficiency of the edge, to put workloads closer to users than any other cloud provider. When we say we operate at planetary scale, this is what we mean.”
Dave McCarthy, IDC, research vice president of Cloud and Edge Services, said, “Akamai is delivering on the promise it made when it acquired Linode by quickly integrating compute into its security and delivery mix. What they’re now doing with Gecko is an example of the more distributed cloud world we’re heading toward, driven by demands to put compute and data closer to the edge.”
Given its massive network, with over 4,100 points of presence, Akamai also believes that it can differentiate its service through the strength of its network. In addition, the company also argues that a lot of businesses today are looking for a more nimble alternative to the large centralised clouds.
