Siebel Systems And Fast Form Long Term Partnership
Siebel to Integrate FAST InStream throughout Its Product Offerings to Extend and Enable Innovative New Functionality
SAN MATEO, Calif. and OSLO, Norway 19 April, 2005 Siebel Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEBL), a leading provider of business applications software, and Fast Search & Transfer (FAST), the leading developer of enterprise search and real-time alerting technologies, today announced that the companies have formed a multi-year partnership.
Terms of the agreement involve the integration of FAST InStream within the core Siebel business applications platform, making FASTs powerful enterprise search capabilities available across Siebel Systems family of business applications and hosted solutions. The agreement also provides Siebel Systems the ability to leverage FAST InStream internally. Siebel Systems plans to incorporate FAST search technology into its internal Siebel deployment later this year.
FAST InStream, FASTs OEM enterprise search solution specifically designed for partner solutions, is designed to increase the value of enterprise applications and boost ROI for the partners customers by extending the power of FAST ESP 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 and Document Management systems, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions, Business Intelligence (BI) suites and applications, as well as Storage and Archiving solutions.
The integration of FAST InStream with Siebel business applications will enable a host of innovative new functionality for Siebel customers and will break new ground for CRM while further extending Siebel Systems market leadership position. Customers will be able to extend their use of Siebel solutions by integrating existing customer and sales information with information from a range of repositories including databases, Web and intranet pages, and third-party internal file systems.
We are very pleased that Siebel has selected FAST InStream as its embedded search solution, joining market leaders from the Enterprise Content Management and Storage industries, said Ali I. Riaz, FASTs chief operating officer. Our OEM partnership with Siebel further validates FASTs strategy of working with vendors of structured data-driven applications, as well as unstructured content solutions, such as enterprise content management. Our partnership with Siebel Systems reinforces FASTs commitment to working with strategic partners and opens the door for FAST across new business application software markets and with leading system integrators, enabling FAST to extend its channels into new areas.
FASTs innovation, vision and laser focus on the future of enterprise search is in line with the direction that Siebel wants to take its search and information utilization strategy, commented Skip Bacon, Vice President of Technology at Siebel Systems. FASTs proven track record in enabling complex mission-critical search solutions combined with the richness of the FAST product set provided Siebel the peace of mind that all its search requirements would be met. We are excited about this long-term relationship and have been impressed with FASTs commitment to Siebels success and its continued development of new and innovative search solutions for the marketplace.
The open and modular architecture of FAST InStream provides businesses the utmost flexibility when selecting and deploying search solutionsfrom specialized search and alerting applications to complete multilingual enterprise search platforms supporting 77 languages. FASTs powerful solutions enable customers to simply mix and match individual data access modules (Web crawler, file traverser, database connector, and XML converter) for easy integration with enterprise applications, while adding search or data volume capacity and value-add features such as advanced real-time functionality and security options.
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 and FASTs 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 Siebel Systems
Siebel Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of business applications software, enabling corporations to sell to, market to, and serve customers across multiple channels and lines of business. With more than 4,000 customer deployments worldwide, Siebel Systems provides organizations with a proven set of industry-specific best practices, CRM applications, market-leading analytics products, and business processes, empowering them to consistently deliver superior customer experiences and establish more profitable customer relationships. Siebel Systems sales and service facilities are located in more than 30 countries. For more information about Siebel Systems, Inc., please visit www.siebel.com.
About FAST
FAST creates the real-time search and filter technology solutions that are behind the scenes at the worlds best known companies with the most demanding search problems. FASTs 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. FASTs powerful enterprise search technology solutions are used by more than 1,500 global customers and partners, including America Online (AOL), AT&T, Cardinal Health, CareerBuilder.com, Chordiant, CIGNA, CNET, Dell, Factiva, Fidelity Investments, Findexa, FirstGov.gov (GSA), 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 www.fastsearch.com.
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