Akamai launches Edge Connect to reduce IoT latency

Akamai is targeting the IoT market with low-latency and secure connectivity

Akamai has launched Edge Connect, a product aimed at reducing latency between IoT applications and endpoints.

Akamai’s Edge Cloud network places content and media closer to customers to reduce latency, but this is the first time the company is extending the technology to expedite data and messaging delivery to and from IoT devices.

Aside from media and content delivery, Akamai’s other core market is security, and the company said these two strengths could combine to deliver data and messages between IoT endpoints securely.

“Akamai is investing to extend its network capabilities with the goal of meeting the unique needs of the growing IoT device and application messaging markets,” said Craig Adams, senior vice president and general manager, Web Performance and Security, Akamai Technologies.

“Delivering massive amounts of data across the globe securely is in Akamai’s DNA. We are focused on developing technology designed to scale, simplify and secure the way IoT and application data is delivered to endpoints.”

Specifically, Edge Connect provides a secure framework for Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), a lightweight protocol that is one of the most commonly used in IoT projects. Akamai reduces the latency of messages sent using the protocol by equipping edge servers with MQTT message brokers, the company said.

Edge Connect also includes an architecture that can scale hundreds of millions of endpoint and is designed to reduce battery drain and improve data transfer speeds and volume. Security-wise, the product includes mutual authentication between endpoints and data isolation.

“With the launch of IoT Edge Connect, we’re harnessing the power of the Edge and bringing it to the next frontier of connected devices and applications.”