Arc XP Elevated Image Management

With roots in The Washington Post, Arc XP knows the business of storytelling inside and out. Its content management system (CMS), digital experience platform (DXP), and powerful tools enable media and enterprise companies to scale their stories and profits. Top brands including Le Parisien, Reuters, and The Globe and Mail trust Arc XP to help them innovate and grow with standout website experiences. To supercharge its image optimization, cut costs, and boost performance, Arc XP harnessed Akamai solutions.

The Arc XP software as a service (SaaS) platform combines a CMS with a DXP along with tools and services designed to help modern media organizations create and deliver stunning website experiences at scale. Just as important, it helps them monetize their content.

Delivering content fast is paramount for Arc XP and its customers, but the company struggled to deliver optimized images at scale. With news cycles running 24/7, customers constantly upload photos for articles and web pages, demanding lightning-fast processing. Arc XP’s homegrown image solution couldn’t keep up. Plus, its engineers grappled with evolving photo standards and formats, and infrastructure costs were eating into profits.

“We manage thousands of sites for our customers, taking on everything from security to reliability and performance. Our homegrown solution for image generation and optimization made it hard to deliver the full value we promised,” explained Joe Croney, Chief Technology Officer for Arc XP.

When evaluating image management options, Arc XP wanted a top-notch developer experience and the ability to tune and use services without degrading image quality. It also wanted to deliver content to end users on any platform. Arc XP found its answer in Akamai Image & Video Manager and Akamai EdgeWorkers.

Image & Video Manager automatically optimized images in real time for each user’s device, browser, and network connection, while EdgeWorkers easily integrated the image management solution into Arc XP’s existing workflows. This allowed a smooth migration of customer image traffic over time. 

“Integrating with Image & Video Manager via EdgeWorkers was effortless and delivered the high-performance capabilities at scale we sought,” continued Croney.

Some Arc XP customers worried that switching from the homegrown solution to Akamai might hurt their developer experience and site traffic. But by partnering with Akamai, Arc XP ensured seamless SEO performance — Google’s crawls of newly optimized images had no negative impact. 

At the same time, Arc XP slashed time to first byte (TTFB) and costs. As CTO, Croney is constantly pushing his team to elegantly streamline data flow on the company’s cloud-native platform. “Akamai helped us cut TTFB by 30% and eliminate thousands in costs, all while delivering content at scale,” he said.

These days, Arc XP is pushing the envelope with generative AI, helping customers deliver hyperpersonalized experiences to better connect with their audiences. With Akamai EdgeWorkers, it can deliver customized content based on user segmentation.

“Akamai lets us tap into deep insights on user behavior, smartly selecting content for each visitor. We're excited to leverage gen AI and EdgeWorkers for even more tailored experiences,” said Croney.

Since starting as a technology platform inside The Washington Post, Arc XP now powers thousands of media sites worldwide. Croney credits part of that success to the Akamai partnership.

“It’s not just about top-tier technology — it’s about expert collaboration. Akamai helps us align strategy and adopt the latest innovations to stay ahead of market trends,” Croney concluded.

Arc XP is the platform built to empower media companies to excel in what they do best — telling great stories. With AI-powered solutions for editorial efficiency, compelling audience experiences, and content monetization, we provide everything modern media businesses need to unlock growth. Originally developed for The Washington Post, today Arc XP is trusted by media and enterprise brands across the globe — powering thousands of websites in more than 25 countries. Learn more at arcxp.com.