Company snapshot
| Category | Azion Technologies | NTT Communications |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | defunct |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
Azion Technologies offers a global edge computing platform and CDN, focusing on performance, security, and scalability for digital applications. Founded in 2011, the company serves industries like e-commerce, finance, and media with solutions for web acceleration, security, and serverless computing. Customers include enterprises and developers building mission-critical applications such as AI, IoT, and real-time streaming. The platform emphasizes programmability and automation, integrating with modern DevOps workflows. Azion operates a global network with a strong presence in Latin America.
NTT Communications, a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, provided a content delivery network (CDN) through its Smart Data Platform, powered by EdgeCast, offering global content delivery for enterprises. The service, launched in 1999, supported various industries with robust network infrastructure until its deprecation in 2025. Following the sale of Edgio’s CDN business, NTT Communications announced the shutdown of its CDN platform, with services ceasing on January 15, 2025. Customers were advised to migrate to Akamai to maintain CDN functionality.
Network & Architecture
Azion operates over 100 points of presence (POPs) across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, with notable strength in Latin America, particularly Brazil. Its edge network leverages intelligent routing and peering with major ISPs to optimize latency and reliability. The platform uses a distributed architecture to support edge computing and content delivery, with capabilities like Edge Functions for serverless processing. Limitations include less extensive coverage in certain APAC and Middle Eastern regions compared to larger competitors like Cloudflare or Akamai.
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Feature comparison
| Feature | Azion Technologies | NTT Communications |
|---|---|---|
waf | ✓ | ✗ |
bot_mitigation | ✓ | ✗ |
ddos | ✓ | ✗ |
rate_limit | ✗ | ✗ |
http3_quic | ✓ | ✗ |
tls13 | ✓ | ✗ |
tiered_cache | ✓ | ✗ |
origin_shield | ✓ | ✗ |
instant_purge | ✓ | ✓ |
stale_while_revalidate | ✗ | ✗ |
stale_if_error | ✗ | ✗ |
image_optimization | ✓ | ✗ |
video_vod | ✓ | ✗ |
video_live | ✓ | ✗ |
drm | ✗ | ✗ |
hls_dash_packaging | ✗ | ✗ |
websockets | ✓ | ✗ |
signed_urls | ✓ | ✗ |
edge_compute | ✓ | ✗ |
functions | ✓ | ✗ |
kv_storage | ✓ | ✗ |
api_first | ✓ | ✓ |
realtime_logs | ✓ | ✓ |
log_push | ✓ | ✗ |
terraform | ✓ | ✗ |
Legend: ✓ = Supported, ✗ = Not supported, — = Not listed
Pricing
Azion uses a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model with pricing based on traffic, requests, and edge function executions. Enterprise plans are tailored for high-volume users, with custom pricing and SLAs. No free tier is publicly advertised, but trials are available for testing. Specific per-GB pricing is not disclosed without a quote, but costs are competitive for enterprise use cases. See https://www.azion.com/en/pricing/ for details.
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Integrations & DevEx
Azion supports Terraform for infrastructure-as-code, enabling automated deployments. SDKs and APIs are available for custom integrations, with an API-first design for programmatic control. Real-time logs and analytics integrate with tools like Datadog and Splunk via log push. The platform includes a CLI and supports CI/CD pipelines for DevOps workflows. Migration tools are available to simplify onboarding from other CDNs, with documentation at https://www.azion.com/en/documentation/.
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When it fits
- Enterprises needing a programmable edge platform for custom applications, especially in e-commerce or media.
- Developers in Latin America seeking a CDN with strong regional coverage and low latency.
- Teams requiring serverless edge computing with Terraform and API-first integrations.
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When it doesn’t
- Small businesses or startups looking for a free tier or simpler pricing models.
- Users needing extensive POP coverage in APAC or Middle East, where competitors like Cloudflare have broader reach.
- Applications requiring advanced video features like DRM or HLS/DASH packaging, which are not currently supported.
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History & Notes
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NTT Communications leveraged its telecom expertise to deliver CDN services, primarily targeting enterprise clients in Asia and globally. The partnership with EdgeCast enabled features like instant purge and real-time logs, but the service’s reliance on Edgio led to its discontinuation after the 2024 asset sale to Akamai. Some customers may still access archived documentation or support through NTT’s sales channels during the transition period.