REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 20, 1997 — Microsoft Corp. today announced an agreement with search-technology leader Inktomi Corp., a leading scalable network applications company, to deliver comprehensive search capabilities for Microsoft® online properties, principally MSN
™
, The Microsoft Network. The award-winning Inktomi technology, combined with Microsoft’s front-end interface and integration, will provide online users access to an index of more than 75 million Internet documents, as well as the most up-to-date search results of any online search engine.
The search service will be introduced early next year on both The Microsoft Network Premier subscription service and on MSN.com, the online service’s free Web site (connect-time charges may apply). Release through other Microsoft online products is expected over the course of 1998.
The search offering is the latest in a series of MSN service enhancements designed to strengthen key areas of the service. Last week MSN launched a significant upgrade, referred to as MSN 2.5, which includes a faster, easier to use e-mail system, complete integration with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and single-click navigation enhancements. MSN is also in the midst of expanding network capacity by 500 percent over last year, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 1997.
“We at MSN are focused on making the key things people do online better and easier,” said Laura Jennings, vice president, MSN, The Microsoft Network. “We believe that Inktomi has developed the most advanced search technology available and it makes sense for Microsoft to provide these capabilities to consumers. Incorporating the Inktomi technology as a core service of Microsoft’s online properties helps us give users the ability to easily and quickly find just what they’re looking for on the Internet – part of our overall goal to make MSN the place to get the most out of each Internet experience.”
Through Inktomi’s advanced Web-crawling technology, consumers can access a large amount of content that is refreshed daily, as well as a select set of content that is refreshed hourly. The search team dedicated to jointly developing the product will define the most popular sites for these multiple daily updates. The entire index of full-text Internet documents will also be updated every three weeks, making it the freshest, most current index available to consumers. As the Web continues to grow and evolve, the service will expand its database coverage and features to provide consistently accurate and reliable searching.
“Our focus is on providing consumers with the deepest, most powerful and easiest product to help them find exactly what they want on the Internet,” said David Peterschmidt, Inktomi president and chief executive officer. “We look forward to working with Microsoft to develop a search product that is more robust and technically advanced than any other search engine available today.”
About Inktomi
Inktomi is a San Mateo, Calif.-based company that develops scalable network applications that dramatically improve Internet information access and delivery. These innovative solutions deliver extreme performance at dramatic cost savings by leveraging Inktomi’s unique parallel and cluster computing technologies. Inktomi applications, including the world’s largest search engines and carrier-class network cache systems, are designed for Internet service providers, backbone carriers and other customers seeking to solve large problems. For more information on the company, visit: http://www.inktomi.com/Us.html .
Microsoft Network Background
The Microsoft Network of online services makes it easy for consumers to harness the power of the Internet to lead more informed, more fun and more productive lives. MSN combines a comprehensive set of core Internet services, including e-mail, online forums and communities, and content and services programming, with direct access to leading Microsoft sites for news, travel, investment, car buying, games and entertainment. Specific programming and services available on MSN include the Microsoft Encarta® multimedia encyclopedia, the Expedia Ôtravel service, Disney’s Daily Blast SM and Family.com SM , the Slate Ô online magazine, the CarPoint Ô online automotive service, the Microsoft Investor online investing service, and up-to-date news and information from MSNBC News. The MSN home page can be reached at http://www.MSN.com/ . Additional press information is available at http://press.MSN.com/.
Users can visit the MSN home page at http://www.MSN.com to order MSN 2.5, the upcoming release of The Microsoft Network. Users with the Microsoft Windows® 95 operating system and a modem can try the new MSN with a free one-month trial* by calling (800) FREE-MSN (373-3676) and requesting a CD.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
*MSN offer: For users of the Windows 95 operating system only. One-month free unlimited trial is available to new members of MSN in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia or Canada only. A credit card is required. MSN premium charges, access charges (if access is purchased from a provider other than MSN) and local phone and/or long-distance toll charges may apply. Access availability may be affected by local market network activity and capacity. Offer expires Dec. 31, 1998.
Microsoft, MSN, Encarta, Expedia, Slate, CarPoint and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Daily Blast and Family.com are service marks of Disney Online.
Inktomi is a trademark of Inktomi Corp.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
The Microsoft Network is operated by Microsoft Corp. on behalf of Microsoft Network LLC.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
