Akamai Reorganizes To Boost Security, Edge Technology Teams

Akamai has reorganized its operations to strengthen its edge technology and $1 billion security business so that customers can more easily buy the company’s full range of edge delivery and security offerings.

Akamai has reorganized its operations to strengthen its edge technology and $1 billion security business so that customers can securely take advantage of serverless computing.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based intelligent edge platform provider will launch its newly created Security Technology and Edge Technology business groups on March 1, both of which will be supported by a single global sales organization. Having a unified global sales organization will make it easier for customers and prospects looking to buy the full range of Akamai’s edge delivery and security offerings, the firm said.

“With Akamai’s new organizational structure, I am confident we will be able to more nimbly support the dynamic needs of our customers and partners, and more effectively capitalize on emerging growth opportunities,” Akamai Co-Founder and CEO Tom Leighton said in a statement.

[Related: Akamai Buys IoT Security Vendor Inverse To Better Spot Devices]

Akamai’s new Security Technology group will be focused on infrastructure protection and access control as well as safeguarding customers’ web properties, mobile apps and APIs, the company said. Longtime Akamai Web Division President and General Manager Rick McConnell will lead the Security Technology group, and will focus on driving core business growth and expanding into attractive market adjacencies.

Revenue for Akamai’s Security Technology group surged to $1.06 billion in 2020, up 25 percent from $848.7 million a year earlier. Just last week, the company purchased Montreal-based Inverse to better identify IoT and mobile devices such as internet-enabled HVAC, lighting systems, medical equipment, robotics and printers in enterprise environments.

Meanwhile, the company’s new Edge Technology Group will bring together Akamai’s Intelligent Edge Platform as well as its media delivery, web performance and edge computing tools to help businesses deliver immersive online experiences across diverse application architectures. The group will be led by Adam Karon, who had served as executive vice president and general manager of Akamai’s Media and Carrier Division since March 2017.

Sales for Akamai’s Edge Technology group inched ahead to $2.14 billion, up 4 percent from $2.04 billion a year earlier. Meanwhile, PJ Joseph will be promoted from running sales for the Media and Carrier division to overseeing the company’s global sales organization, where he will be focused on driving revenue acceleration, improving channel partnerships and increasing security product adoption.

Akamai last month introduced a new partner program that promises to more than double margins for solution providers who deliver design and implementation services to customers. In the new program, solution providers certified to deliver advanced services around Akamai can earn margins of up to 40 percent, while demand gen partners will be eligible for margins of between 15 percent and 20 percent.

In other executive moves, Enterprise Division General Manager and Platform Executive Vice President Robert Blumofe will move into the re-established chief technology officer role. In that position, Akamai said Blumofe will be responsible for developing a cohesive innovation strategy that positions Akamai to capitalize on growth opportunities in areas such as 5G, IoT and other emerging technologies.

And from a marketing standpoint, Kim Salem-Jackson, senior vice president and general manager of corporate communications, will take over for Monique Bonner as chief marketing officer. Bonner will move into an executive advisor role in a planned transition that Akamai said will allow her to spend more time with her family while still ensuring the success of key marketing initiatives currently underway.

“I want to thank Monique for her leadership over the last four years, during which she successfully led the transformation of our marketing organization,” Leighton said in a statement. “I am excited to welcome Kim and PJ to our executive leadership team, and I look forward to working with all of our leaders in their new roles to drive Akamai’s next phase of growth.”