Akamai and VBrick Systems Unite Technologies to Stream U.S. Military High School Graduations for Troops Stationed Abroad

Akamai's global network and VBrick's streaming video appliances enabled U.S. soldiers deployed in Iraq to "virtually" attend childrens' graduation ceremonies

HostReview.com
Tuesday, June 22, 2004; 12:00 AM

Cambridge, Mass. and Wallingford, Conn. - June 22, 2004 - Thousands of American troops stationed in Iraq were able to view their sons' and daughters' military high school graduation ceremonies, live, via the power and reach of the Internet. These "virtual" ceremonies were made possible by a combination of technologies donated by Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the global leader of distributed computing solutions and services, and VBrick Systems, the premier provider of digital video solutions.

During the month of June, fourteen U.S. military high schools located throughout Europe, including schools in Weisbaden, Heidelberg, and Ramstein, conducted their graduation ceremonies. Since many of the graduates' parents are soldiers deployed abroad, they were unable to physically attend the ceremonies. Akamai and VBrick, in a special effort with the United States Army, teamed up to provide network bandwidth for audio and video streamed via VBrick Systems' MPEG-4 encoders and delivered via Akamai's globally distributed platform, allowing the deployed soldiers in the 1st Infantry Division and 1st Armored Division - two divisions most heavily impacted by deployments - to view the events in real-time on the Internet.

Each of the cameras at the fourteen American high schools on military bases throughout Europe were connected to a portable VBrick VBXcast encoder, which compressed the live video and audio from the graduation ceremonies into low-bandwidth MPEG-4 digital streams. These live video feeds were delivered worldwide over the Internet via the Akamai network. Any Iraq-based soldier in the 1st Infantry Division and 1st Armored Division with a computer and an Internet connection could log in and view the ceremonies with a standard Web-based plug-in application, like VBrick's StreamPlayer.

Akamai's globally distributed EdgePlatform of servers, with extensive coverage that spans 69 countries, securely delivered the graduation ceremonies in their entirety to the Iraq-based troops. The geographic proximity of Akamai's servers ensured a high-quality, reliable viewing experience for the soldiers, who tuned in from a common "in theater" location. The ceremonies are now archived for the soldiers to view on demand.

"The Internet has played a critical role in keeping soldiers informed of major happenings around the world, especially as they pertain to the daily activities of their loved ones," said Keith E. Johnson, vice president of Public Sector, Akamai. "The Akamai EdgePlatform, with its massive presence, provided an optimal solution to support the extreme global reach requirements of this project. We are honored to have provided the U.S. Army with the technology that enabled the troops stationed abroad to take part in one of the most significant events of their child's life."

"Communication with those at home is more important than ever and is a major factor to building morale and enriching soldiers' extended tours of duty in Iraq," said Fred Geyer, chief executive officer, VBrick Systems. "VBrick encoders allow easy and sure-fire live streamed video to be delivered from anywhere to any point on the Internet at any time, so we're glad to have been able to help make graduation a memorable event for our soldiers and their families."

About VBrick Systems, Inc.
VBrick Systems, Inc. manufactures simple, reliable video solutions that enhance communications and reduce costs for organizations large and small. VBrick enables enterprises to benefit from high quality visual communications through networked video appliances. VBrick MPEG video solutions provide the simplest and most dependable visual communications to businesses, educational institutions and government agencies ranging in use from distributing news and information and distance learning to training and surveillance. Based in Wallingford, Connecticut, USA, VBrick Systems' products are distributed through industry-leading value-added resellers, system integrators and distributors. Find out more at www.VBrick.com.

About Akamai
Akamai® is the global leader of distributed computing solutions and services, making the Internet predictable, scalable, and secure for conducting profitable e-business. The Akamai on demand platform enables customers to easily extend their Web operations - with full control - anywhere, anytime, without the cost of building out infrastructure. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Akamai serves hundreds of today's most successful enterprises and government agencies around the globe. Akamai is The Business Internet. For more information, visit www.akamai.com.

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Contacts: Caryn Brownell Media Relations Akamai Technologies, Inc. 617-444-2524 caryn.brownell@akamai.com Mike Savic VBrick Systems 203-303-0101 mikes@vbrick.com Heather Silverberg Access Communications 917-522-3503 hsilverberg@accesspr.com