Akamai Shines After Software Bug

P>On the surface, the glitch shows that even the best service providers can suffer from bad software. But let's not leave the glass half empty. It also shows us what a mature technology company does when a problem occurs. Akamai's automated monitoring systems detected the problem quickly, and its engineers were able to track it to the back-end content-management tool that contained the bug. After disabling the tool to restore normal service levels to customers, Akamai repaired the condition and resolved the problem--all within 90 minutes.

Many companies are bitten by software bugs every day. The key question is how they handle it. Akamai will take some lumps for its public slowdown, but it also showed the chops that helped it reach profitability last quarter. There's nothing in these recent events to suggest that Akamai users should change horses in the near future.