Akamai: Powering and Protecting Its Own Digital Realm

•6 min read
content delivery networkcybersecuritycloud computingproduct developmentcustomer experienceinternal innovationsoftware development lifecycle

In the fast-paced world of software and internet infrastructure, the principle of using one's own products is a powerful, albeit sometimes challenging, path to refinement and innovation. Akamai Technologies, a giant in content delivery, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, is a compelling example of a company that thrives by operating within its own digital ecosystem. By turning its own global operations into a real-world proving ground, Akamai not only enhances its product suite but also gains invaluable insights that benefit its vast customer base.

The Foundation: Akamai's Core Services

Before diving into how Akamai utilizes its own technology, it's essential to understand what they offer. Akamai's Intelligent Edge Platform is one of the world's largest distributed computing platforms, designed to bring content, applications, and experiences closer to users while keeping threats at bay. Their services are broadly categorized into:

  • Content Delivery (CDN): Accelerating website and application performance, delivering media, and managing traffic on a global scale.
  • Security Solutions: Protecting against DDoS attacks, web application threats, botnets, and providing zero-trust security solutions. This includes their Web Application Firewall (WAF), Bot Manager, and Prolexic for DDoS mitigation.
  • Cloud Computing: Offering cloud infrastructure services, including compute, storage, and managed Kubernetes, especially since their acquisition of Linode.

Given the nature of their business—powering and protecting a significant portion of the internet—it’s almost an inherent necessity for Akamai to rely on its own infrastructure and security for its corporate operations, web presence, and customer-facing portals.

Internal Proving Grounds: Refining by Doing

While Akamai doesn't always broadcast "we use our own stuff" for every single product in a dedicated case study, the practice is evident in their development processes and specific initiatives.

One clear instance of Akamai leveraging its internal capabilities for improvement comes from their work with data analytics and AI. As detailed in a Dataiku case study ("Akamai: Transforming Data Discovery With LLMs", Dataiku), Akamai implemented an AI-powered platform, internally referred to as AI360 (leveraging Dataiku's technology), for several critical use cases. These included:

  • Enhancing data discovery: Creating an LLM-powered chatbot to allow employees to query enterprise data in natural language, saving over 6,000 hours company-wide.
  • Automating data stewardship: Auto-generating descriptions for thousands of datasets, saving over 1,500 hours and $37,500.
  • Improving resource allocation and security: Detecting fraudulent customers more efficiently and better prioritizing support tickets.

Santhoshkumar Loganathan, Principal Lead at Akamai Technologies, was quoted in the study, stating, "By automating data stewardship, we have reduced the manual workload for data stewards by automating dataset descriptions, freeing up our data stewards to focus on more impactful tasks." This internal application directly led to quantifiable efficiencies and undoubtedly provided feedback for the underlying technologies and approaches.

Another area where internal usage drives product excellence is in user experience and interface design. In a blog post titled "Behind the Scenes: Introducing the Akamai Design System" (Linode, Akamai), the company detailed the collaborative effort between their design system UX team and Cloud Manager front-end developers. The goal was to create a cohesive experience between the Akamai Cloud Manager (post-Linode acquisition) and the Akamai Control Center. The article highlights the importance of internal feedback:

"We've created feedback channels where teams can suggest improvements based on their real-world implementation experiences... This collaborative approach helps ensure our design system remains practical and responsive to actual development needs rather than just theoretical design principles."

This meticulous approach to refining their own user-facing control panels by being their own first users demonstrates a commitment to usability and practical application. Updates to color palettes for accessibility, improved typography for readability, and refined table displays were direct outcomes of this internal focus.

The Network Effect: Security and Performance Insights

Akamai's vast global network, which handles a massive percentage of global web traffic (reportedly up to 30%), naturally serves as its own best sensor. The threat intelligence gathered from protecting its customers informs its security posture and product development. As mentioned in an Akamai blog post ("Protect Your Critical Assets with Akamai Guardicore DNS Firewall", Akamai), the threat intelligence used in their DNS Firewall is "built on data gathered from Akamai Connected Cloud...This intelligence is enhanced by IP addresses and traffic logs from other Akamai security services and hundreds of external threat feeds."

It stands to reason that Akamai's own corporate IT and security teams would be among the first to benefit from and test these evolving security capabilities. By experiencing the same threat landscape as their customers, but with the added pressure of being a prime target themselves, Akamai can rapidly iterate on its security solutions. Their internal security operations constantly monitor Akamai systems, providing a crucial feedback loop for enhancing their security products like WAF, bot management, and DDoS protection services (Source: Akamai's Information Security Program).

Potential Pitfalls and the Drive for Excellence

The practice of a company intensely using its own solutions isn't without potential pitfalls. One risk is developing an "inside-out" perspective, where internal needs and use cases might inadvertently overshadow the diverse needs of the broader customer base. Another is the sheer complexity; if an internally used product has flaws, it can directly hamper the company's own productivity.

However, for a company like Akamai, whose core business is the reliability, performance, and security of the internet for others, the benefits far outweigh the risks. The constant, high-stakes internal usage drives a relentless pursuit of excellence. Problems encountered internally are likely to be addressed with high priority, leading to more robust and resilient products for everyone. This intense self-reliance fosters a deep understanding of the real-world challenges their customers face.

Conclusion: A Cycle of Continuous Improvement

Akamai's approach of building, deploying, and refining its technologies through extensive internal use creates a powerful, virtuous cycle. From enhancing their data platforms with AI to meticulously crafting their user interfaces and leveraging their global network for threat intelligence, Akamai turns its own operations into a dynamic laboratory. This not only ensures their products are battle-tested but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, ultimately benefiting the global enterprises that rely on Akamai to power and protect their online presence. While not every instance of internal application is publicly detailed, the evidence points to a company that deeply ingrains its own solutions into its operational fabric, building better products from the inside out.