Harmonic has got two business units. One focuses on broadband, one focuses on video. I'm part of the video side of the business, and we focus on technology for streaming and broadcast. We've been part of the transition from legacy video equipment to the migration to the cloud. For some folks, it's more economical to keep it on-prem, some to move it all to the cloud. What we're seeing is a lot of hybrid solutions. Part on-prem is what makes sense to keep on on-premise, and then what makes sense move to the cloud and connect the two. The partnership between Harmonic and Akamai can solve multiple different problems. On the one On the other hand, for pure streamers, this is a very cost-effective solution with a best-of-breed technology for the stream perspective and best-of-breed technology from a cloud perspective. On the other hand, if we look at traditional players that kept everything on premise, this combo can now allow them to start moving stuff to the cloud or having a hybrid solution. For example, you put a lot of your encoding on premise in your data center, but then you put your storage, DVR, Origin in the cloud and use that elasticity.
Beyond the traditional workflows of playout, encoding, streaming, we can now add to that primary distribution as well with the connectivity of the Akamai cloud, and the harmonic technology is a perfect fit for that. The reason we chose to work with Akamai to power VR 360 is really because of the key traits that the Akamai connected cloud provide. The way the Akamai connected cloud is built based on the footprint of the CDN is different from how the typical Hyperscale of data centers are built. This is more focused on media. It brings a better benefit to how media is delivered. It's far the end subscriber, which means lower latency and lower cost. That for us is critical when we look at video workflows. This partnership with Akamai is exactly what we were looking for to grow our SaaS business.
Redefining broadband and video delivery
Harmonic is transforming broadband and video delivery as we know it. As a global leader in virtualized solutions, it is changing how media companies and service providers monetize content on every screen by simplifying over-the-top (OTT) video delivery through cloud native workflows. By pairing Harmonic’s cloud native VOS®360 solutions with Akamai Cloud and Akamai Media Services Live 5, Harmonic and Akamai are reshaping how fast, reliable, and scalable video services are delivered.
Driving innovation with AI and cloud flexibility
Harmonic’s market-leading VOS360 software as a service (SaaS) offerings are used by media companies globally — and for good reason. VOS360 Media SaaS streamlines all stages of media processing and delivery for premium streaming and broadcast services, while VOS360 Ad SaaS delivers a complete personalized advertising workflow for full-screen and in-stream ads.
With AI rapidly reshaping video workflows, Harmonic is investing in new capabilities to help customers further embrace innovation. Its latest VOS360 enhancements use AI to elevate viewer experiences, automate delivery, and unlock ad monetization at scale.
But realizing these benefits requires a cloud platform that is not only performant and scalable but also cost efficient. Many service providers are forced to rely on hybrid or on-prem environments because of unpredictable capacity needs and high egress costs in traditional clouds.
“Combined, these issues have made it cost prohibitive to run certain workflows in the cloud,” said Gil Rudge, Senior Vice President of Video Products and Solutions at Harmonic. “We wanted to empower our customers to migrate to the cloud and take advantage of its benefits.”
Why Akamai Cloud was the right fit
When seeking a cloud partner, Harmonic wanted one that thought like it did: media focused and cost conscious. The answer was Akamai Cloud. “The way Akamai Cloud is distributed sets it apart from the way hyperscaler data centers are built,” said Rudge. “Since Akamai delivers media far closer to end subscribers, it translates to lower latency and lower cost, which are critical for video workflows.”
Now as a member of the Akamai Qualified Compute Partner Program, Harmonic can offer customers a smarter, more cost-effective way to run their cloud-based video workloads — with added scalability, reliability, and resiliency. Customers can also tap into a host of cloud computing, security, and content delivery capabilities via Akamai.
“Using Harmonic’s VOS360 SaaS solutions on Akamai Cloud, media companies gain more control over their workflows, can streamline viewing experiences, and can drive business growth while reducing operational costs,” said Rudge.
Confidently serving AI workloads and hybrid models
With its SaaS solutions now running on Akamai Cloud, Harmonic is positioned to support next-generation workloads, including AI-driven media services. “We are excited to migrate customers from their traditional on-prem solutions to Akamai Cloud so they can easily tap into cost-effective innovation,” Rudge said.
Even organizations that maintain a hybrid architecture can benefit. “It can make sense to keep resources with fixed costs on-premises, but the cloud makes sense for variables,” said Rudge. “Providers, broadcasters, and others can, for example, keep their encoding on-prem and move their storage to the cloud for elasticity.”
Running on Akamai Cloud allows Harmonic’s SaaS solutions to operate at a lower cost while enabling more workflows. “Every migration can happen at a lower cost, all while companies benefit from the higher quality and reliability of Akamai Cloud,” said Rudge.
Powering Akamai Media Services Live
As viewer expectations grow, Akamai sought a new video processing engine for its own live origin service: Akamai Media Services Live 5. This comprehensive suite powers live event broadcasting and linear streaming for some of the world’s top media companies.
Harmonic’s VOS360 Media SaaS was the clear choice. As the exclusive video processing partner for Akamai Media Services Live 5, Harmonic will enable high-quality, always-on viewing experiences for 24/7 live and linear services at scale.
Accelerating growth in the cloud
The powerful partnership between Harmonic and Akamai enables both companies to scale smarter and help customers innovate faster. Service providers, broadcasters, and content owners can deploy video services more cost effectively, simplify complex workflows, and pursue new monetization models.
“We’ve been gradually growing our business over the past few years. This partnership with Akamai will accelerate that growth. It not only allows our customers to tap into Media Services Live 5, it gives us a reliable cloud at a great price point, enabling more workflows to move to the cloud,” Rudge concluded.
About Harmonic
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in virtualized broadband and video delivery solutions, enables media companies and service providers to deliver ultra-high-quality video streaming and broadcast services to consumers globally. The company revolutionized broadband networking via the industry’s first virtualized broadband solution, enabling operators to more flexibly deploy gigabit internet services to consumers’ homes and mobile devices. Whether simplifying OTT video delivery via innovative cloud and software platforms, or powering the delivery of gigabit internet services, Harmonic is changing the way media companies and service providers monetize live and on-demand content on every screen.
About Akamai
Akamai is the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. Our market-leading security solutions, superior threat intelligence, and global operations team provide defense in depth to safeguard enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai’s full-stack cloud computing solutions deliver performance and affordability on the world’s most distributed platform. Global enterprises trust Akamai to provide the industry-leading reliability, scale, and expertise they need to grow their business with confidence. Learn more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on X and LinkedIn.
