Microsoft integrates FAST Data Search

Major step forward for FAST

[heini]

Microsoft Corp. gains the right to distribute FAST Data Search for sales promotion, demonstration, and marketing purposes with Microsoft’s next-generation integrated solution platform for e-business that is designed to enable the rapid development of personalized sites and provide a highly scalable foundation for global e-commerce solutions.

Note: this is not about Fast websearch.
It's a further strengthening of Fast's business solutions branch. Fast has been one of the first companies to make a solution conform to the specifications of MS E-Commerce Server.

Press release [fast.no]

[caine]

Interesting, lets see how it plays out, the potential ramifications of this alignment between MS corporate and Fast, could mean a heck of a lot of things.

Though this is a large feather in Fast's cap.

[grnidone]

>Note: this is not about Fast websearch.

? Soo what? It's a search function for intranets/ networks? *G reads the article again* It sounds like it is a search to pull information out of databases...

?

[heini]

>?

First of all I accidentially had linked to an old press release, where it just said FAST had met the specs - sorry for that.

If you read this new press release [fast.no] I think the matter clears up a little.

MS sells it's Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 and Microsoft Content Management Server 2001 to business customers. Part of this product is FAST software. It's a data mining solution, which very successfully works for huge companies already, like IBM, Reuters etc. In short. Fast provides the search architecture for those MS Commerce servers.

[Brett_Tabke]

'cuse me for bumping this, but I don't think too many people saw this thread, or realized the implications of this news. Think about it - Fast and Microsoft teaming up...

[mack]

MS have the might, fast has the technology, good things could come from this. Not web search now, but it is a posability for the future.

[Tor]

I really missed this tread Brett. Normally I try to be informed about what is happening with Fast at all times but this one slipped by me. Maby this deal also will lead to a future partnership between the two companies when it comes to traditional web search?

[Rumbas]

Red ears ;)

It slipped by me too. Thanks for bumping it Brett.

>think about it.

Just did. Could be a very important move for FAST in deed. Wonder what it will do for them stock, client and brand-wise?

[NeedScripts]

I think whatever search data MS decides to use, it will make a big impact on SEO industry. Cuz if I am not mistaken, MSN is doing tons of marketing for their Internet Service and like we all know that the home page / start page for all MSN Internet user will be msn.com (that is what I am thinking), or even if they have some other MSN page (created specifically for MSN Internet users), they will still see MSN Search box on the page. And I personally think, that many (if not almost all) of those users will generally use that search box and hence one can expect MSN Search popularity to increase. I guess, it is like what happen to Yahoo and AOL (I think?). When people start surfing from one site, they normally use resources available on that site (if they are good). So I guess, all the SEO's need to start focusing on MSN also for near future....

P.S... Our site is still getting most (I mean almost all) visitors from Google :) Good Google :)

[duckhunter]

Which asks the next question, implications on Inktomi?