With all of the online music subscription providers cropping up and rolling out their services, they’re going to need the
infrastructure to support them, right? CenterSpan Communications Corp. is one technology provider hoping to
capitalize on this notion as the Hillsboro, Ore. firm Monday unveiled C-Star CDN Services 2.0, a modular software and service suite
geared to help businesses deliver content over the Internet.
While it’s true the pressplay and Rhapsody services of this world are the ideal target for such infrastructure, (it allows secure
streaming and downloadable audio and video), C-Star CDN Services 2.0 can be used for a cross-pollination of sectors, including
medical, government, pharmaceutical, education and other industries that need to manage digital file delivery. This is an upgrade
from the first version of C-Star, launched last July.
The good news for companies is that C-Star CDN Services 2.0 can help them cut distribution costs because it moves a substantial
portion of bandwidth and storage costs from the central server system.
Michael Hoch, senior analyst of Internet Infrastructure for Aberdeen Group, approved of the new product because of its ability to
provide security. CenterSpan began using Microsoft Corp.’s digital rights management (DRM) technology in Nov. 2001.
“CenterSpan correctly recognizes that security is a top concern for P2P-based solutions for both streaming and downloadable content
over the Internet, and so has integrated DRM and other security features into its offering,” Hoch said. “Enterprises are increasingly
turning to solutions like CenterSpan’s for content delivery services, whether delivering content internally to worldwide employees
or to the general consumer market as a distributor.”
CenterSpan Monday also said its C-Star CDN Enterprise, which lets companies manage their own content distribution services from
behind a firewall, will be available in Q2.
C-Star will be sold through a combination of direct sales and partnerships in specific vertical markets. Pricing is based on the
number of users supported and content distributed.