Inktomi acquires eScene Networks

Inktomi Corp. Tuesday bulked up its content delivery offerings with the announcement of several new products, services and partnerships, as well as the acquisition of eScene Networks Inc.

The moves are aimed at making it easier for enterprise users to put together content delivery networks (CDN) by providing turnkey CDN products and services, instead of just building block pieces, said Peter Galvin, Inktomi's vice president of enterprise solutions.

With the acquisition of eScene Networks, Inktomi picks up eScene's StreamLine product, which Inktomi is renaming Media Publisher. The software allows for cataloging, indexing and publishing of rich media content for corporate communications, training, and other enterprise streaming media content on Web sites.

Inktomi also announced new search software that allows users to retrieve information stored in databases on corporate networks, intranets and the Internet using a single search query. The module builds on Inktomi's "Search Everywhere" initiative, which aims to provide a simpler way to search for content stored in multiple places on a network.

Inktomi also announced a pair of partnerships. The first is a deal with eRoom Technology to let users of Inktomi search software access content published within eRoom's "digital workplaces." The second is an alliance with Netegrity to integrate Inktomi search software with Netegrity SiteMinder so that users of both products can centrally manage their user identities, authentication and access on a site.

Inktomi also announced Traffic Controller, which provides a single point of management across a network for tracking and prioritizing content. This allows network managers to control how much bandwidth any application can use on the network, helping prevent floods from demand for rich content, or conversely, making sure that high-priority applications get the bandwidth they need. For example, a financial company that needs to run a morning Webcast to remote offices could be assured of enough bandwidth for quality audio and video content delivery.

Inktomi will continue to provide building block pieces, like caches, for service providers, enabling those users to customize CDNs for their customers, Galvin said.

The company says IDC's market forecast shows that CDNs could help alleviate some critical problems they face related to information management, or rather the lack of it. That research indicates Fortune 500 companies will lose US$31.5 billion by 2003 due to the inability to find information quickly and efficiently.

Inktomi claims customers such as Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., Ford Motor Co. and Williams Communications Group Inc. are already deploying its software to increase the management of information across their networks.

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