How to Prevent a Website Crash After a Traffic Spike

How can I manage crash-inducing traffic spikes my website?
First , congratulations--this is a good problem to have. Maybe a new product on your retail website got big media . Suddenly your online traffic jumped sevenfold, and 90 minutes , your site down, the victim of too many consumers trying to access product.

What could prevented this catastrophe is a content delivery network (CDN) from Akamai, Amazon, CDNetworks or one of the many providers worldwide. It's a cloud-based automatic scaling service designed optimize the delivery of content--most commonly software and video--to your customers the most reliable fashion. With a CDN place, customers can access your site no how many visitors have the same idea at the same . And they can quickly download your content they're across town or halfway the world.

We turned Michael Kuperman, senior director of platform operations at Akamai, has a decade of experience the content delivery network space.

Who needs a CDN?
If your consumer base is distributed a wide geographic area, or if you have predictable online traffic patterns--for , you know Cyber Monday and Mother's Day are big days--or concerns unexpected flash crowds due to content or a promotion, you need a CDN. If you require online speed to compete rivals, as you would with online shopping services or travel reservations, need a CDN. If your concern is a denial of service or cyber attacks, you, , need a CDN.

Who doesn't need one?
If your business is regional with a focus local customers, you might not need . If your website's revenue isn't tied its performance, or if you have global audience or no chance of showing on Yahoo News, you don't need a CDN.

How do you choose a CDN?
If your network is serve, say, the Chinese market, you'll want a CDN a Chinese presence to add stability. You'll need to know if the CDN will support your application and your goals. And ask your short list of providers they're willing to a head-to-head test using your application and content.

How much do CDNs charge?
If yours is a video delivery site, you'll likely charged in GBT (gigabytes transferred) or Mbps (megabits second). If you have a shopping site or advertising application, costs may by transaction, page views or other metrics related your application. The prices per data delivery or transaction requests are fractions of a penny, but when you're talking millions of people flooding your site, in mind that it can quickly add to real money.

How fast can a CDN be into place?
With a good provider, once the terms are ironed , turning it on can just a few minutes. However, complicated applications can take a few days or weeks configure. Give yourself at one month to sort out what you need and you'll use so you can sure you're getting a good deal.


Adapted from: entrepreneur.com, July 4, 2012.