Authorize.net and Akamai Network Technology
The following only applies to customers using Authorize.net through ColumbusSoft's Reseller program, other clients will be notified in the next few months but may need to cover the charges on their application end (API). 

Over the coming months, Authorize.Net will be upgrading access to the Internet connections that serve our data centers. Instead of allowing direct connections, all Internet traffic will be routed through Akamai, a third-party cloud network service that routes and delivers Internet traffic. The existing payment gateways will be backward compatible until June 2016. ColumbusSoft will upgrade all existing clients over by the end of the 2015 year.

Using Akamai network technology will help decrease latency and improve the reliability of our payment gateway. It will also help safeguard against interruptions caused by issues beyond Authorize.Net's direct control, such as Internet congestion, fiber cable cuts and other similar issues. Additionally, come October, merchants connected to Akamai should no longer be affected by planned downtimes.

Implementation Plan And Timeline

We are implementing Akamai's technology into our network in two phases.

We have created three new URLs for transaction processing that are hosted by Akamai. We can update your website or payment solution to point to the new transaction URLs by the end of the year, which will provide you with the immediate benefits detailed above. Come October, they should no longer be affected by planned downtimes.

Updating Your Solution

If you have not purchased the service through our reseller program please contact us for assistance in updating your payment gateway solution. Authorize.Net will begin sending their initial emails about Akamai to you tomorrow afternoon.

Firewall And IP Address Considerations

Using Akamai technology, Authorize.Net's IP addresses will become dynamic rather than static. ColumbusSoft will make automatic updates to the firewall to whitelist Authorize.Net's IP addresses.

Akamai is available for testing now in Authorize.net sandbox environments. We will test all solutions prior to making any production change to ensure that they will not experience any disruptions to transaction processing.