Level 3 Communications

Exploding Internet data loads have put companies responsible for its distribution in a quandry--not because traffic is too heavy, but because managing it has become too cheap.For years, pioneers of the so-called content delivery network--such as Akamai Technologies Inc. (AKAM) and Limelight Networks Inc. (LLNW)--earned a windfall off the Internet's growth by deploying machines that help customers download popular data faster. Yet sustaining that expansion has grown harder in recent years because of growing competition, often from their own customers, which have been lured into the business by the lower costs.As a result, content delivery providers have had to diversify into other business lines, such as Web security, an effort that has progressed in fits and starts.Content delivery networks remain a crucial Internet cog. They work by cutting the distance information travels through intelligent caching--storing commonly used content in databases closer to the customers demanding it."The...

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