Asia PR News

OSLO, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

AskMe to Integrate the FAST InStream(TM) OEM Enterprise Search Solution for
More Efficient and Effective Employee Knowledge Networks

Fast Search & Transfer(TM)(FAST(TM)), the leading developer of enterprise
search and real-time alerting technologies, today announced an OEM partnership
with AskMe, the leading provider of Expertise Management solutions, under which
FAST will serve as the search foundation for AskMe Enterprise, the most widely
deployed solution for creating and managing Employee Knowledge Networks(EKN).
AskMe Enterprise will be integrated with FAST InStream(TM), an OEM-specific
enterprise search solution developed to meet the complex application-based
search requirements of independent software vendors (ISVs).

FAST InStream is designed to increase the value of enterprise applications
and boost ROI for the partner’s customers by leveraging the power of FAST
Enterprise Search Platform (FAST ESP(TM)) technology. Supporting both
structured and unstructured data, FAST InStream provides unique value across
all types of software applications, including enterprise portals and intranet
sites, Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems, Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) solutions, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions,
Business Intelligence (BI) suites and applications, as well as storage and
archiving solutions.

AskMe is used by leading companies to drive greater innovation, increase
productivity, and accelerate speed of execution. In many organisations, the
needed expertise is often hidden by geographic and organisational boundaries
while lessons learned remain undocumented or unaccessible to the broader
organisation. AskMe solves this problem by connecting employees with the most
relevant internal expertise faster to solve problems, share ideas, and
collaborate. Resulting lessons learned are automatically disseminated to other
employees to promote organisational learning and also captured by the system
into a comprehensive knowledgebase for future reuse.

"To facilitate better people-to-people connections and to deliver highly
relevant content, we needed to build upon an effective search technology,"
said Udai Shekawat, CEO, AskMe. "The contextual insight offered by FAST’s
search technology will help our solutions reach the next level of performance
and users will benefit greatly from the improved speed and accuracy. This
partnership fulfils AskMe’s strategic commitment to maintain a leadership role
in the marketplace by delivering best of breed technology to our customers."

"AskMe’s solutions have transformed the way corporations capture and
utilise employee expertise and have facilitated the development of some of the
world’s most innovative products," said Ali I. Riaz, FAST’s chief operating
officer. "This partnership validates FAST’s vision of using FAST ESP to enable
a range of innovative solutions. We are confident that with the integration of
FAST’s enterprise search technology, AskMe customers will be delighted with
reduced latency as well as efficiency and productivity enhancements."

FAST has transformed enterprise search from a powerful, yet narrowly
perceived function, into an enterprise-wide strategic and tactical capability
of pivotal importance. FAST ESP, FAST InStream and FAST’s portfolio of
solutions and Search Derivative Applications (SDAs) supply a complete
information retrieval solution ideal for a growing number of key vertical
markets and applications including e-Commerce and Internet Portals, Financial
Services, Government, Life Sciences, Media and Publishing, and Telecom. For
FAST, the search never stops.

About AskMe
AskMe Corporation is the world’s leading provider of Expertise Management
software solutions for Global 2000 companies. The company’s flagship product,
AskMe Enterprise, connects employees with problems to employees with
solutions. By using AskMe Enterprise, large companies are dramatically
improving the quality and speed of execution throughout their organisation.
AskMe’s solutions been deployed by a robust list of blue chip companies that
includes Honeywell International, Intel Corporation, Procter & Gamble, Gerber
(a subsidiary of Novartis) and CNA Insurance, among others. Founded in 1999,
AskMe is privately held with headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Additional
information available at http://www.askmecorp.com.

About FAST
FAST creates the real-time search and filter technology solutions that are
behind the scenes at the world’s best known companies with the most demanding
search problems. FAST’s flexible and scalable integrated technology platform
elevates the search capabilities of enterprise customers and connects people
to the relevant information they seek regardless of medium. This drives
revenues and reduces total cost of ownership by effectively leveraging IT
infrastructure. FAST’s powerful enterprise search technology solutions are
used by more than 2,000 global customers and partners, including America
Online (AOL), AT&T, Cardinal Health, CareerBuilder.com, Chordiant, CIGNA,
CNET, Dell, Factiva, Fidelity Investments, Findexa, IBM, Knight Ridder,
LexisNexis, Overture, Rakuten, Reed Elsevier, Reuters, Sensis, Stellent, Tenet
Healthcare, Thomas Industrial Networks, T-Online, US Army, Virgilio (Telecom
Italia), Vodafone, and Wanadoo.

FAST is headquartered in Norway and is publicly traded under the ticker
symbol ‘FAST’ on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The FAST Group operates globally
with presence in Europe, the United States, Asia Pacific, Australia, South
America, and the Middle East. For further information about FAST, please visit
http://www.fastsearch.com.

Fast Search & Transfer, FAST, FAST ESP, FAST Data Search, FAST Marketrac,
FAST AdVisor, FAST InStream, FAST ImPulse, FAST mSearch, FAST ProPublish and
the FAST four-coloured logo are trademarks of Fast Search & Transfer ASA. All
rights reserved. FAST disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and
names of others. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the
property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Fast Search & Transfer

CONTACT: U.S.: Jim McManus,
+1-781-274-6061 x202, or

Europe: Carine Zeier,
+47-23-01-13-47,
Mobile: +47-48-01-13-47,
fast@sparksource.com, both of Fast Search & Transfer; or

Daniel Teeter of AskMe,
+1-425-564-9017,
dteeter@askme.com

Web site: http://www.fastsearch.com
http://www.askmecorp.com