Vancouver-based PEER 1 Managed Hosting has found a relatively cheap way to offer its customers greater reach into international markets.

The company has joined OnApp, an international federation of CDN (content delivery network) providers this week. Tim Varma, vice-president of product development for PEER 1, said the move will make it even “more appealing for business.”

Varma said OnApp is based on the idea that multiple hosts in different countries around the world connect their PoPs (points of presence) together to form a global network. It means you can use my network so long as my customers can use yours.

“That’s what the whole idea of the federation is; making it simple and easy for the customers. They can go into a portal and pick and choose which geography they want to extend their content out to,” Varma said.

For customers of PEER 1 with their own overseas customers, this can mean a difference in not only the speed with which content can be delivered but “it also allows our customers to put their content closer to their customers,” Varma said.

He also said that, while there will be an increase in service area for PEER 1 customers, he’s just as excited that joining OnApp could actually make business cheaper. “We’ll see how this can drive the cost down for our customers and (make them) a lot more competitive in the marketplace,” Varma said.

For now he said PEER 1 is “the only Canadian, or even North American provider,” in OnApp.

Jim Davis, senior analyst of networks and media at New York-based

Tier1 Research said, “OnApp has stepped in and provided two things – it can serve as a financially stable, trusted partner, and it also brings with it a built-in customer base.”

But Varma said this is only the beginning. “I think that the exciting part is the evolution of (OnApp) and the potential for traction and competing in a pretty consumed space as far as what providers are out there,” he said.

In fact, he said the features provided with OnApp haven’t been fully realized yet, and “at the end of the day, having reach is one thing but it is the features that the customers are looking for (that’s important). Specifically around rich-media-content and delivering that content out to the customers.”