Slightly overdue, here is the second half of my two-part series on Delivering Video Content on Your Website. Part 1, "How Do I Get Video On My Website?", can be seen here.

After reading Part 1, "How Do I Get Video On My Website?", you may have concluded that a content delivery network (CDN) is the right choice. If so, the next challenge is finding the right CDN for your needs. Remember, a CDN offers hosting and delivery of video files so that your network isn't burdened by these large resources. Your site hosting solution may not be able to keep up with user demand to stream and download large video files, but a CDN will.

Selecting the appropriate CDN for your website is far too individual of a decision to make any sweeping suggestions. But as you make your decision, keep these considerations in mind:

Price
Obviously price will be high on anyone's list of considerations, but this list wouldn't be complete if I didn't include it. Investigate the price structures that different CDNs offer, and assess which will be the most cost effective. How much data will you need per month? Will your usage stay fairly consistent from month to month, or will it vary greatly? It's important that you have a pretty clear picture of what your data needs will be before you can identify the best-priced solution.

Delivery Method
Again, the better understanding you have of your video needs, the easier it will be to select the right CDN. In this case, you should know how your videos will be delivered. Will they be viewable as streaming media? Will users be able to download them? Do you record live video of events that will need to be streamed as it's happening?

User Experience
Another top consideration on anyone's list should be how the user will experience your CDN of choice. Is the video player attractive? Easy to use? Does it fit with the style of your site? It may sound superficial but these are important considerations. The last thing you want for your website is a video experience that looks out of place.

Security
Are your videos private? Depending upon how sensitive or confidential your video content is, the security features of your CDN may be important to you. Does the CDN you're evaluating have multiple layers of security surrounding your videos? Does this CDN encrypt your videos as they're transmitted across the Internet? If not, your video data could be intercepted and viewed by unauthorized individuals.

Statistics/Reporting
Are you a sucker for good Web traffic statistics? If so, you'll want to find a CDN that provides adequate tracking tools, so that you'll know who's watching what (and maybe when, and where). More than once in this blog I've talked about the value of complete site analytics data. Strong reporting tools in your CDN might provide you with the information you need to tackle the competition and "wow" your users.