Two of our executives hosted a webinar last week with Information Week on Solving Web and App Management Issues through Infrastructure Outsourcing. The premise of the presentation (now archived for on-demand viewing) is that the benefits of cloud-based infrastructure extend beyond reducing hardware costs. There are also scale, software and security advantages to consider.

The beginning of the presentation centers on how website and application management have evolved significantly in recent years. For example, the number of servers required to run a single website or application has grown substantially. This is partly because web content has grown more dynamic, but also partly because developers often operate under the assumption that computing and storage resources are virtually free. Resource optimization isn’t a priority when there’s no quantifiable cost. That has a big impact on the scale of infrastructure required to support online assets.

On the software side of the equation, there are new complications in web and app management because of online performance expectations, and also the need to manage distribution across multiple platforms. These are critical concerns for IT, but they’re also not core competencies for most organizations. By outsourcing infrastructure components, companies can also address these issues through services like website and application acceleration, and mobile delivery optimization.

The discussion becomes more complicated when you add in security concerns, but here again, there can be advantages to infrastructure outsourcing. For example, supporting premium content and commercial transactions introduces issues of controlling rights-based access and managing requirements like PCI compliance. For some organizations, these issues are best managed in house. For others, it makes sense to offload non-core functions and focus on other business priorities.

The Information Week webinar goes into far more detail on these topics and related issues. Take a listen and view the slide deck at your leisure for further insights from David Reisfeld, GM of Limelight Content Delivery Solutions, and Jason Thibeault, Senior Director of Solutions Marketing.

All eyes are on Apple today with expectations of a new iPhone announcement. But perhaps nowhere was the shiny gadget maker’s reach and impact felt more palpably than it was last month with Adobe’s launch of Flash Media Server 4.5. You only have to read the second line of the Adobe press release: “With Flash Media Server 4.5, media publishers can extend their already broad mobile reach via Flash-enabled devices, with the new ability to deliver video content to Apple’s iPad and iPhone devices…”

Flash isn’t going away, particularly given today’s limitations around HTML5, but it is being adapted for iOS audiences. With another iPhone on the way, it’s a good to have options.

Much of the discussion at this week’s GigaOM Mobilize conference comes down to a single, simple desire. Everyone wants to build a better mobile app. Across a wide array of panels, a few ideas have surfaced repeatedly. There’s discussion on HTML5 versus native apps, hand wringing over how apps use network resources, and recognition of how consumer expectations are shaping the enterprise environment. Luckily, from those debates, a few clear pieces of advice have emerged. Here’s what panelists at Mobilize have to say:

Leverage HTML5 for your mobile interface. Adam Blum, CEO of Rhomobile, makes the point that although HTML5 doesn’t take advantage of all the device and OS capabilities on smartphones, it can still be used for the front end of app development. App frameworks (like his company’s Rhodes framework), can create another layer that allows developers to deliver more sophisticated functionality below the HTML5 interface.

Be a good network citizen. Developers can get lazy when they’re not directly paying for resources. Scott Kveton, CEO of Urban Airship points out that developers have to be good network citizens, designing their apps to be efficient with resources. It’s good for the user experience, which means it’s also good for the ultimate success of an app.

Don’t design mobile enterprise apps that look like web applications. Sean Whitely, SVP of Salesforce.com, says that enterprises still take an old-style approach to app development. Consumers are used to apps that are simple, targeted and easy to use. Enterprise developers need to adapt for the mobile market.

Back in March, we talked about our gig streaming live and on-demand video for the South by Southwest conference. Well now the official case study is out, and we’ve got a look at why SXSW decided to use the Limelight Video Platform, as well as some of the results from the conference’s first ever live streaming experience.

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The most critical factor in SXSW’s decision to employ Limelight was its integrated video platform and content delivery services. Limelight Video Platform provides video storage, content management, and reporting and analytics capabilities that seamlessly integrate with Limelight’s private global network infrastructure to ensure maximized performance, reliability, and scalability. In addition to the benefit of only working with one solutions provider, SXSW also noticed:

• A simplified workflow through the management of LVP and content delivery services within the same interface
• Faster video ingest
• Increased speed in the transfer of large volumes of video files
• Improved player responsiveness through reduced reliance on a single originating data center, and the caching of the player, playlists, and all metadata information at the network edge
• A better viewer experience provided through the delivery of information on real-time network conditions from the Limelight Internet Health Monitor to the LVP

Starting on October 1st, Facebook will require all Facebook pages be secured through HTTPS. This means little for most Facebook users, who host their pages directly with the social networking site. However, if you have a Facebook page hosted on an external server, you are responsible for obtaining an SSL certificate by the end of this month.

There are several implications stemming from the Facebook deadline. First, and most importantly, it raises the issue of how connected many websites are today. It used to be that websites existed as individual, contained entities, but more and more they now rely on heavy links to third-party content, whether through integration with social networks, ad networks, microsites, shopping carts, games, or other applications. In this case, the fact that many websites integrate directly with Facebook means site managers have to be aware of how the new HTTPS requirement may affect their site performance. If managers don’t address this issue, it could result in site errors come October 1st.

Second, from specifically a security perspective, the Facebook move highlights how certain elements of website publishing are changing. It’s common practice for websites with members-only content, and websites supporting paid transactions to use SSL delivery. However, Facebook may be part of a trend toward greater security across a wider range of domains. And that has an impact on web acceleration and site optimization services. Not all vendors support SSL delivery, and that may become an increasingly important requirement going forward.

Don’t use web acceleration services? Keep in mind that encrypted pages also take longer to load, making site acceleration services even more important with HTTPS content.

It’s been a while since we’ve done a webinar, but we have a new one coming up on September 28th with Information Week. Join us for:

Scale, Software, & Security – Solving Web and App Management Issues through Infrastructure Outsourcing

Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Time: 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET
Duration: 60 minutes
Register Here

Infrastructure outsourcing is about much more than server capacity and distributed storage. New requirements in website and application management are placing increasing demands on IT departments, and many organizations aren’t able to match internal resources to the new challenges at hand. System availability and online performance are at stake, as are the competitive advantages that come with being able to move quickly to upgrade software and support new features and functionality.

This webinar will examine the benefits of Infrastructure as a Service in the areas of web and app performance, software agility, and online security management. Join us to learn about solutions to some of the most common problems facing resource-constrained IT departments today, including:

• Dynamic web acceleration
• Streaming media support
• Cross-platform content delivery
• Content security and policy management

As retailers get ready for the holiday shopping season, researchers are releasing new data on consumer shopping behaviors and purchasing patterns. Among the latest studies is one from RichRelevance (via MediaPost), which looked at more than 200 million shopping sessions to determine how site referrals impact buying habits.

The company found that the vast majority of referrals to retail sites still come from Google, with Facebook and Twitter accounting for less than one percent of referral traffic. However, it appears that Twitter at least is a more valuable sales-generating tool than it first appears. Shoppers originating from the popular microblogging platform tend to spend more money than consumers coming from any other referral site. On average, Twitter referrals spend $121.33 per order. That’s more than $15 higher than the highest average order value (AOV) from any search engine referral. AOL, with its older consumer demographic, tops that list with an AOV of $105.27. Meanwhile, Facebook can’t brag about its AOV rates yet, but it continues to grow faster than any other channel as a referral source.

Other points of interest:

• RichRelevance cites an overall drop in average order value from $128.27 to $116.58
• Search engines are the primary referral sources for retailers, accounting for 18 percent of all traffic in August
• Google drives 81 percent of search engine referrals, with Yahoo at 9.7 percent, Bing at 7.5 percent, and AOL at 1.7 percent

At home and on the go, consumers like their sports. We examined mobile media requests over the last 12 months and found that, in a breakdown by genre, sports dominated other categories with nearly 35 percent of viewing share. News came in second at just over 26 percent, and comedy and children’s entertainment followed at third and fourth, with 8.46 and 8.05 percent of mobile requests respectively.

Categories that didn’t fare so well included drama and reality entertainment, and this may have to do with a lack of urgency associated with those genres. A smartphone may offer the best access to media at any given time, but if there’s no urgency – such as the desire to get real-time news, or placate a bored child – then viewers may prefer to wait for a bigger screen.

We also found interesting seasonality trends in our data, although there is a serious caveat to consider when drawing any conclusions about genre popularity and timing. Certain categories spiked at different times during the last year, with sports showing a huge jump in August. However, these spikes are likely a result of the launch of new applications and/or the addition of more video content as much as they are a reflection of consumer interests at different times of the year. That jump in the sports category in August? There’s a good chance it comes from sports sites and apps updating their content in anticipation of fall football, basketball, and more. It will be interesting to see what this year’s September data brings.

A new update for Limelight REACH went live late yesterday. New features in release 4.10 include:

• RSS notification when videos prepared for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) are complete, even while preparation for other mobile devices is still underway
• REACH Interactive content report, showing percentage of video watched, buffering events
• REACH Interactive campaign report, showing ad delivery and user interaction
• Links to ad creatives prepared for mobile delivery, accessed from OpsCenter
• Playlist containing ad creatives prepared for mobile delivery, independent from video content, for specialized clients
• Video processing optimization

REACH Interactive is only three months old, but we’ve made quick progress in adding features and functions to the portfolio addition. As shown in the chart above, the new video playback metrics provide detail on the amount of video actually watched in a mobile application, and any buffering events that might have occurred. Users can zoom in on different windows of time to see how well an in-app video performed, and whether it held audiences’ attention.

For more information on all of our new features, see the complete 4.10 release notes.

The TV Everywhere experience is now virtually… everywhere. And Adobe is right in the middle of the game with its authentication technology, Adobe Pass. Launched only six months ago, Adobe Pass is now available as a log-in option to roughly 90 percent of the pay-TV market. According to the company’s press release today, Adobe Pass includes Fox Networks, Turner Broadcasting, Hulu, and AMC among its customers, and the technology can be used for authentication with online services from Comcast, DirecTV, Dish, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Verizon, Cablevision, Charter, Suddenlink and others.

We announced Limelight Video Platform as one of the original Adobe Pass partners earlier this year. There are several advantages to the technology including its ability to streamline the integration process between programmers and pay-TV providers, as well as the fact that it doesn’t require consumers to suffer though any additional downloads or plug-ins before accessing premium content. As more premium content moves online, this ease-of-use factor grows increasingly important. The only way video gets monetized is by making the viewing  process simple for subscribers, and the security function smooth for providers.