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The best WAM!NET content delivery alternative

A lake with large hills on every side, in the fog.

Rumor has it that the once award-winning content delivery provider, WAM!NET, is shutting down. If you’re looking for a WAM!NET alternative, you’re not alone. But you may be worried about investing time and resources in yet another media file transfer solution only to watch it face a similar fate in five, ten or fifteen years. If so, rest assured.

Modern media file delivery software like Signiant’s Media Shuttle is a far cry from WAM!NET, as pivotal as it was in the early 2000’s when the company was a recognized industry leader. Back then, media files were still relatively small, workflows still relatively local, and security still relatively lax.

Cloud technology and SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions like Media Shuttle provide advanced acceleration technology that can handle today’s large media files and long-distance transfers, along with an intuitive web interface and enterprise-grade security. However, technology and UX that matches today’s needs and expectations is not the only benefit.

The cloud revolution has enabled a new level of adaptability and the capacity to keep up with changing industry and technology trends. Compared to cloud-based software, traditional software was very difficult to deploy, update and maintain, much less innovate.

SaaS solutions like Media Shuttle are not only more advanced, they have the capacity to stay that way. Why is that so important? Just because a company’s technology is top tier today, doesn’t mean it will continue to be, as the WAM!NET story so pointedly illustrates.

WAM!NET was an industry leader

In 2001 and 2002 , WAM!NET was named among the top 50 private growth companies by The Business Journal. In 2002, EContent magazine named WAM!NET to its annual EContent 100 list, noting that WAM!NET was one of the companies “that matter most in the digital content industry.”

In 2003 WAM!NET was awarded the Market Engineering Leadership Award for the Digital Delivery Market by Frost & Sullivan. That same year, WAM!NET was purchased by CenturyLink and considered a leader in content delivery “with a 34 percent market share sustained by significant market growth,” according to Crunchbase.

How did WAM!NET end up shutting down only 15 years after being at the top of their game? There are likely many reasons, but the most basic is that their technology and user experience couldn’t keep up with industry expectations.

SaaS for unpredictable, changing times

As already mentioned, one of the greatest benefits of SaaS is that it can adapt with changing times and industry needs. As a pioneering SaaS solution, Media Shuttle is the fastest, easiest and most secure way to move any size file, anywhere. Additionally, while backed by advance enterprise technology and security, Media Shuttle can scale to every sized business — whether a five-person post house in upstate New York or a top international broadcaster.

If you are looking for an alternative to WAM!NET or any other outdated content delivery solution, be sure to consider Media Shuttle and other SaaS solutions that meet your needs now and can adapt with the changing times.

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