Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are a nifty and powerful innovation. Because they are able to move large amounts of data quickly at a relatively low cost to the distributor, they are an increasingly favored means of moving audio, video, and even large video game updates.
Marketing research and consulting firm MultiMedia Intelligence estimates that "P2P data currently represents 44.0% of all consumer traffic over the Internet and 33.6% in North America" and that total P2P traffic will expand almost 400% in the next five years. The vast majority of the data is for video.
As Ars Technica reports, this poses some challenges to internet service providers (ISPs) on whose networks all this data is supposed to flow. How their response to this explosion of video data affects the companies that offer bundled internet and TV is an open question, but it underscores the importance of network management. As bandwidth hungry applications like P2P proliferate, especially on wireless networks, the need for network management will increase exponentially.
P2P's distribution power has often been used for illicit purposes, including not only illegal transfers of copyrighted materials but also but also for sneaking malware, viruses and other infected content onto downloaders' computers. This places enormous demands on the network and can contribute to congestion and delays that harm all customers.
The fundamental challenge for network providers is making sure customers get access to network resources in a fair and equitable way. It's just no longer acceptable for a handful of users to suck up all the available bandwidth, particularly if their bandwidth demands are tied to illegitimate uses of applications like P2P.
But it turns out that some sites have learned to tap this technology to make secure P2P networks into engines of legitimate commerce and distribution. In the Arts+Labs Veoh Review, we highlighted that
Veoh is uniquely able to broadcast lengthy, broadcast-quality video because it is partly powered by a proprietary [P2P] distribution network, showing that P2P can be secure, safe and legitimate.
This is part of a larger trend, as MMI expects that in the next several years, legitimate P2P traffic will grow 10 times faster than illegitimate traffic. That's good news and demonstrates that P2P has arrived. How this explosion in bandwidth traffic is managed will be equally as important to P2P's long-term success.
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