Content delivery network and cloud services provider Akamai Technologies Inc. said today it’s launching a massively distributed edge and cloud platform called Akamai Connected Cloud.

It’s designed to enable cloud computing, content delivery and security that brings applications and experiences closer to end users, while providing better protection against security threats. The launch comes almost a year after Akamai acquired the infrastructure-as-a-service platform provider Linode LLC for about $900 million.

Linode was a much smaller and less complex rival to cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services Inc. and Google Cloud. It was aimed at independent developers who didn’t want to be locked into those bigger providers or get hit with nasty surprises in their billing. At the time of the acquisition, Akamai said it would integrate Linode’s capabilities to transform itself into the “world’s most distributed compute platform.”

Akamai Connected Cloud is the result, and the company is massively expanding its cloud capabilities by adding core and distributed sites to the same underlying infrastructure backbone that powers its existing edge network. It’s designed to provide developers with a distributed platform for building, running and securing next-generation applications.

Akamai said its Connected Cloud offering spans 4,100 locations across 134 countries, placing compute, storage, database and other essential cloud services closer to large populations, industries and information technology centers. The result is that developers can now build and deploy more performant cloud workloads with single-digit-millisecond latencies and global reach, it said.

The company is looking to serve customers in areas such as the media, gaming, software-as-a-service, retail and government industries. It’s hoping to attract them not only through the capabilities of Akamai Connected Cloud, but also through aggressive pricing.

It explained that it has been able to use the power of its existing network to reduce the cost of cloud egress by bringing CDN-like economics to cloud data transfer. The result is that it can offer significant discounts on egress rates when compared to alternative cloud providers, it said.

Akamai co-founder and Chief Executive Tom Leighton said his firm’s expertise in edge computing makes it possible to scale everything from content to cybersecurity, bringing digital experiences closer to users while keeping threats further away. “Our customers know us and trust us for this scale,” he said. “Now we plan to scale cloud computing, to provide customers with better performance at a lower cost.”

Akamai’s cloud infrastructure encompasses 11 core cloud computing sites spread across the U.S., Europe and Asia, and it will add three more that are set to go live by the end of the second quarter. These will offer all of the cloud computing services provided by Linode, and will be followed by the addition of 10 more core sites next year. At the same time, Akamai plans to add new “distributed” sites in more than 50 cities globally this year, bringing basic cloud computing services to more “difficult-to-reach” locations that are currently underserved by traditional cloud providers.

In a blog post, Akamai Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Adam Karon described Akamai Connected Cloud as a “continuum of compute” from core to edge, paired with security, CDN and 24/7 support.

“With Linode’s developer-friendly DNA, you’ll find it simpler to deploy distributed applications,” he said. “Developers will be able to use these capabilities for applications, workloads, and use cases that haven’t been imagined yet.”

According to Akamai, all of its cloud services will be compatible with ISO, SOC 2 and HIPAA standards, and it will expand its usefulness through the launch of the Akamai Qualified Computing Partner Program. This, it said, is to provide customers with a range of services from third-parties that are interoperable with the Akamai Connected Cloud.

International Data Corp. analyst Dave McCarthy said the next generation of cloud computing will require a shift in how developers and enterprises think about getting their applications and data closer to customers, because their workloads are no longer built for just one place but rather delivered across a wider spectrum of compute and geography.

“Akamai’s innovative rethinking of how this gets done — and how it is architecting Akamai Connected Cloud — puts it in a unique position to usher in an exciting new era for technology and to help enterprises build, deploy and secure distributed applications,” McCarthy said.

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