With edge caching, or local caching, Enterprises have the option to preposition content where bandwidth is a concern, or dynamically cache on first use for live video or video on demand (VOD). For VOD, videos are retrieved from a central repository (origin), usually remote or in the cloud and held/cached on a server in a local data center. Subsequent requests for the content are serviced by the local cache. Caching solutions tend to deploy caching hardware/software to both their data centers and remote offices. This uses integrated software that develops and maintains a dynamic mesh, or network of cooperating caching servers across the company. This network can be used to effectively and efficiently distribute video content to multiple users upon request, by only requesting it from the origin once.
Conceptually like multicast, edge caching forms a single-to-many topology of video distribution. It doesn’t require multiple requests to the origin server, however it is still unicast from the cache server to the player. Placing and configuring caches, software or hardware, does require alignment with network and infrastructure teams, however this provides a very secure and stable way to deliver video.
