Built around the fundamental concept that effective solutions must combine the power of scalable data and content classification with contextual enterprise search technology, FAST InStream for Data Classification is generally available today, and has been chosen or implemented by more than a dozen OEM partners across its intended market segments.

Backed by an extensive support infrastructure, enterprise search industry experience and thousands of instances of FAST products deployed globally, FAST is actively teaming with technology providers that are developing solutions to address a variety of data-intensive business processes, including data classification, resource management, data protection, information management, electronic discovery, compliance, and utilization reporting. One such company, Archivas, Inc., a leading provider of fixed content archiving solutions, has partnered with FAST to deeply embed FAST InStream for Data Classification in its solution to deliver unparalleled access to archived information.

“The need to meet strict internal governance or regulatory compliance mandates, or respond instantly to discovery requests and preservation orders is a critical reality facing organizations today. We needed a partner to help accelerate our approach to addressing this reality,” said Jeff Spotts, vice president of marketing for Archivas. “Search is a critical component of our Archivas Cluster (ArC™) software and one of the areas where we have established a competitive advantage over other digital archiving solutions. Partnering with FAST enables us to provide our customers a solution that has capabilities above and beyond anything else that is available in the market today.”

“New business requirements such as record-retention and information privacy regulations, as well as increasingly frequent e-discovery activities have forced organizations to rethink data management. FAST’s enterprise search solutions help organizations gain control of their data and enables them to transform that data into actionable information,” said Brian Babineau, analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG). “Most companies do not know the context or basic content of their information. This is comparable to driving in a foreign country without a map. FAST’s technology capabilities provide a level of information intelligence that enables organizations to find and properly manage data; essentially building a digital map and GPS solution for enterprise information.”

FAST InStream for Data Classification is the foundation for an effective data classification strategy. Designed for rapid, low-risk and high-capability integration and no-limit scaling, it gives OEMs the ability to offer their customers a contextual understanding of all active and archived data by indexing and analyzing metadata, text, terms, and concepts and tying this information together with enterprise business processes. With the ability to offer a deep level of visibility into stored content, vendors can effectively differentiate themselves while providing unprecedented value to their customers. Further, effective embedded data classification can turn storage systems from cost centers into a means of enabling productive processes such as compliance or litigation support.

FAST’s enterprise search technology also serves as a solution to help organizations achieve the level of archiving, indexing, and usage reporting necessary to fully reap the benefits of Information Lifecycle Management (ILM). Moving beyond tiered storage that uses broad classification, such as by application, to move data to the type of storage most appropriate for its value, FAST InStream for Data Classification provides an additional level of access to archived data and content, enabling document or concept-level ILM.

“Our experience in the enterprise search market has allowed us to identify and support the specific functionality and modularity requirements of a variety of vendors in the storage and archiving marketplace. We have found that the combination of flexible embeddable software infrastructure and comprehensive product and customer support is precisely what our partners are looking for,” said Bjшrn Olstad, chief technology officer of FAST. “Now, our partners are in a position to offer a range of new functionality, and to deliver on the dream of ILM, something that file-level, even concept-level classification, can support when combined with enterprise search.”
About FAST
FAST is the leading developer of enterprise search technologies and solutions 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, 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 www.fastsearch.com

Source: FAST

Source: Wired News