Fastly has a new take on the now relatively antiquated model for running content delivery networks, or CDNs. We believe the more modern approach gives Fastly an opportunity to take share from legacy CDN providers with a lower-cost model, but it has recently struggled to execute on this vision.
Fastly’s modern version of a content delivery network is superior to legacy competitors' and will continue to be favored by developers looking to stay on the cutting edge in today’s digital world.
Bears
Even if Fastly’s approach to CDNs is superior, it doesn’t lend itself to durable competitive advantages that can keep competitors from copying its model.
Fastly operates a content delivery network, which is necessary for entities to provide faster and more reliable online content. Fastly’s strategy differs from traditional CDNs, which focus on locating servers in as many locations as possible to store copies of files that consumers most use. Fastly is in far fewer sites than traditional CDNs, but it houses servers in the most network-dense data centers. Instead of simply storing static content, it allows its customers to program on its platform, enabling edge computing and better service of the more dynamic content that was traditionally not well served by CDNs. Fastly gears its service to the largest, most sophisticated enterprises rather than small companies and generated nearly three fourths of its revenue in the United States in 2023.