Oslo, Norway and Helsinki, Finland
Fast Search & Transfer(TM) (OSEAX: FAST.OL) (FAST(TM)), the leading developer of search technologies, today announced the expansion of its success and focus in the Finnish market through an agreement with Fonecta, the market leading directory services provider in Finland. Fonecta's search engine, www.fi, is powered by the award-winning FAST Enterprise Search Platform (FAST ESP(TM)).
Fonecta offers a wide variety of directory services to meet the contact information needs of private people and businesses in Finland. Through these services, users can access contact information regardless of time, place or the communication device at hand. www.fi has an established brand name, and currently runs a range of search services: Finnish Web search, images and company searches, in addition to link directory search and news search. Fonecta's long-term goal is to make www.fi the number one search engine in Finland.
"The new www.fi is the best address for Finns to find all local information, as it produces up-to-date, relevant and direct results both from Finnish Web sites and specialty content," says Ville Sarja, business director at Fonecta Ltd. "We have worked closely with FAST on the development of the service and are pleased with the performance improvements the relationship has yielded. Moving forward, we will introduce new features based on customer feedback and usability tests to make everyone's life easier."
The ability to launch a local search solution which fully supports the Finnish language and which gives a unique Finnish look and feel is important to Fonecta. The FAST solution enables companies to offer a rich local search and vertical portal by aggregating non-directory content from various sources such as local Web sites. This broad distribution strategy draws more users and attracts additional advertisers. The solution also gives companies the ability to create search-driven ad placements based on user queries and business rules. Business managers can analyze customer behaviour and tweak content ranking in real time to connect the right advertisers with the right consumers. The targeted audience exposure and increased referrals improve the ROI for advertisers.
"The geographical search capabilities of www.fi allow users to instantly find the most relevant local information," commented John M. Lervik, FAST's chief executive officer. "The ability to create search-driven ad placements based on user queries and business rules, offers users an enhanced experience through quick and accurate search. Fonecta's innovative use of the FAST search technology is a prime example of how we assist our customers in responding to changes in the marketplace, moving into new business areas and leveraging new revenue streams."
The directory industry has experienced significant change over the past years, including the migration from print to online and the entrance of global search players into their space. FAST has become the de facto search solution to help companies combat these new competitive forces, and with its advanced search technology it has become a key strategic business enabler for companies in this field.
About FAST
FAST is the leading developer of search technologies that are behind the scenes at the world's best known companies with the most demanding search problems. FAST's flexible and scalable enterprise search platform (FAST ESP) 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 solutions are used by more than 2,600 global customers and partners, including America Online (AOL), Cardinal Health, CareerBuilder.com, Chordiant, CIGNA, CNET, Computer Associates, Dell, EMC Documentum, Factiva, Fidelity Investments, Findexa, IBM, Knight Ridder, LexisNexis, Merrill Lynch, Rakuten, Reed Elsevier, Reuters, Sensis, Stellent, Tenet Healthcare, Thomas Industrial Networks, T-Online, US Army, Virgilio (Telecom Italia) and Vodafone.
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 and Africa. For further information about FAST, please visit www.fastsearch.com.
(C) 2006 Fast Search & Transfer ASA - Fast Search & Transfer, FAST, FAST ESP, Contextual Insight and the FAST logo are trademarks of Fast Search & Transfer ASA. All rights reserved.
CONTACT: Fast Search & Transfer Brian Greehan +1 781-418-2414 fast@daviesmurphy.com or Carine Zeier (Europe) +47 23 01 12 00 pr@fastsearch.com
CONTACT: Fast Search & Transfer Brian Greehan +1 781-418-2414 fast@daviesmurphy.com or Carine Zeier (Europe) +47 23 01 12 00 pr@fastsearch.com , ,
Source: Business Wire (Business Wire India)