Leverage CDN with Pimics

Allium is proud to announce a great new feature in Pimics, this time as a result of our long-standing partnership with Microsoft. Using Sharepoint as a DAM solution for Pimics, our customers have the opportunity to take advantage of Microsoft's most advanced technology for optimized web content delivery worldwide: Azure CDN.

What is the Content Delivery Network?

CDN stands for Content Delivery Network and is a powerful service provided by Microsoft Azure. It is a service that we integrated into Pimics to give our customers access to the benefits offered by  the CDN. It greatly enhances the delivery of high-bandwidth content to web users across the globe, and this is all made possible by Azure CDN's well-connected network of content delivery servers which are either directly owned by Microsoft, or belong to partners in the CDN network. The principle here is that content is delivered to the web user based on their geographical location.
 

How it works*

1. A user (Alice in our picture above) requests a file (also called an asset) by using a URL with a special domain name, such as <endpoint name>.azureedge.net. This name can be an endpoint hostname or a custom domain. The DNS routes the request to the best performing POP location, which is usually the POP that is geographically closest to the user.
2. If no edge servers in the POP have the file in their cache, the POP requests the file from the origin server. The origin server can be an Azure Web App, Azure Cloud Service, Azure Storage account, or any publicly accessible web server.
3. The origin server returns the file to an edge server in the POP.
4. An edge server in the POP caches the file and returns the file to the original requestor (Alice). The file remains cached on the edge server in the POP until the time-to-live (TTL) specified by its HTTP headers expires. If the origin server didn't specify a TTL, the default TTL is seven days.
5. More users can then request the same file by using the same URL that Alice used, and gets directed to the same POP.
6. If the TTL for the file hasn't expired, the POP edge server returns the file directly from the cache. This process results in a faster, more responsive user experience.

 

Key features of Pimics (Azure) CDN

1. Global Reach: Pimics CDN uses the Azure platform and thus it spans the globe, reducing latency and improving performance by distributing user requests from edge servers. This proximity to users minimizes traffic to the origin point, resulting in superior online experiences.
2. Massive Scalability: Pimics (Azure) CDN dynamically scales without downtime. Its distributed global presence handles sudden traffic spikes and heavy loads — think major product launches or global sporting events—without additional infrastructure costs.
3. Security at the Edge: Protect your content with custom domain HTTPS, DDoS mitigation, and Web Application Firewall (WAF). Edge servers act as frontline defenders, shielding the origin server from malicious attacks.
4. Seamless Integration: Pimics (Azure) CDN integrates seamlessly with other Azure services. Activate it within minutes and optimize security, performance, and availability through DevOps automation.

The Pimics CDN running on Azure isn’t just about delivering content; it’s about creating exceptional user experiences. Whether you’re streaming product media, serving large files like product catalogues, or just plain providing customers with pictures of products they are interested in, the Pimics (Azure) CDN has your back. Activate it in Pimics, optimize it, and let your content shine on a global stage!

If you already are a Pimics customer and are interested in using our CDN service, please get in touch with your Allium representative. We will discuss the options and we will configure it in your system.
 

*Section taken from Microsoft's online documentation