Ascend Learning streamlines encoding workflows and maximizes video quality with Bitmovin and Akamai

About Ascend Learning

Ascend Learning is a leading education technology company that provides digital-first learning experiences and certification programs across the healthcare, fitness, and wellness sectors. Its diverse suite of brands delivers highly engaging content and courses to a wide range of learners and institutions. As part of a broader strategy to modernize and scale its video delivery workflows, Ascend Learning partnered with Bitmovin and Akamai to upgrade its video infrastructure.

Why Ascend Learning Chose Bitmovin

Ascend Learning needed a video encoding partner to deliver the highest possible video quality at scale while improving workflow flexibility, operational efficiency, and long-term scalability. Bitmovin’s VOD Encoder stood out for its quality-first approach, 3-pass encoding capabilities, integration flexibility, and ability to adapt to specific workflow configurations. By collaborating closely with Akamai and Bitmovin, Ascend Learning was able to execute a smooth and timely transition, maintain stream quality, and ensure seamless internal adoption.

Main requirements for Ascend Learning

How Bitmovin Delivered Results

Achieving scalable delivery with integrated cloud encoding

Bitmovin’s VOD Encoder was deployed directly within Akamai’s cloud environment, providing Ascend Learning with an efficient and scalable encoding solution. This deployment eliminated the need for major infrastructure changes and allowed for seamless integration with Akamai’s storage, reducing latency and improving file access performance. Bitmovin and Akamai also enabled the team to incorporate automated scripting logic into their existing workflows, ensuring precise control over encoding behavior, metadata mapping, and job automation.

Powering workflow automation with API-driven customization

Bitmovin’s API-first architecture allowed Ascend Learning to build a highly customizable encoding pipeline tailored to the specific needs of its various educational brands. With the flexibility to write custom scripts, the team was able to automate content processing and define logic for managing multiple file types and output formats. Bitmovin’s VOD Encoder gave Ascend Learning the tools to handle complex publishing rules and reduce manual encoding overhead at scale.

Enhancing deployment speed, video quality, and operational efficiency

By configuring Bitmovin’s VOD Encoder with three-pass encoding, Ascend Learning was able to reduce manual effort, improve the encoding quality achieved, and accelerate content availability. The move consolidated fragmented workflows into one automated system, boosting efficiency by an estimated 75%. Bitmovin’s technical team worked closely with Akamai and Ascend Learning throughout the rollout, ensuring that timelines were met, performance benchmarks were achieved, and overall delivery quality remained high.

Conclusion

The partnership between Ascend Learning, Bitmovin, and Akamai supported a seamless transition from legacy systems to a more agile, cloud-based encoding pipeline. Deploying Bitmovin’s VOD Encoder within Akamai’s infrastructure has enabled Ascend Learning to operate a streamlined, reliable video delivery system capable of scaling with future demands. The joint support between Bitmovin and Akamai ensured that technical challenges were resolved quickly, allowing Ascend Learning’s teams to focus on innovation and deliver high-quality content to learners without disruption.

“Bitmovin’s seamless integration with Akamai and flexible API options have been absolutely instrumental in solving all of our encoding needs.”

— Christopher Holliday, Director of Site Reliability Engineering at Ascend Learning