Leading Arabic Portal Ayna Deploys FAST ESP to Expand Search Capabilities

16/10/2006 - 12:04

Fast Search & Transfer(TM) (OSEAX: FAST.OL) (FAST(TM)), the
leading developer of search technologies, and Ayna Corporation, the
original provider of information services for Arabic speaking people
of the Middle East and North Africa, today announced that Ayna has
deployed the FAST Enterprise Search Platform(TM) (FAST ESP(TM)) to
power the search for its Arabic Web portal - www.Ayna.com. Possessing
the Web's largest online Arab community, Ayna.com now provides its
users with the industry's most advanced Web searching capabilities.

Ayna.com was founded in 1997 to provide the Arab community with an
Arab-specific portal and search engine. Researchers estimate there are
more than 25 million Internet users in the Arab world and that number
is expected to achieve rapid exponential growth. In response to
growing demand, Ayna.com has developed one of the world's largest
Arabic portals, providing search, community tools, up-to-date news
feeds and more. Ayna.com currently has 1.7 million registered users,
25 million page views per month and is consistently voted one of the
top five Arabic Web sites.

"FAST ESP has given us the tools we need to extend our leadership
amongst both regional and global competition and execute on our
commitment to be the most comprehensive Arabic-language Web portal
available," said Adonis El Fakih, chief executive officer of Ayna.com.
"FAST provides us with an extensive set of features built on a
highly-scalable search platform that will support the growing demand
for personalized search and news retrieval in the Arabic-speaking
world."

Ayna.com has deployed FAST ESP to index all Arabic and
Arabic-related Web content and serve as the foundation for future
customized solutions to support the site's growing community. With
FAST ESP, Ayna.com is now providing its visitors with enhanced
linguistic capabilities, the ability to view and group content based
on personal preferences, pre-programmed search options and the ability
to cluster news feeds and more.

"Ayna.com has been delivering content to the Arabic community for
almost ten years. This rich history, combined with its new search
capabilities, will extend Ayna.com's leadership position as the
premier Arabic portal," said John M. Lervik, chief executive officer
of FAST. "Companies around the world are turning to FAST to help them
deliver the highest-quality search experience to their users, as well
as a technology foundation that will scale to support their future
growth and success."

About Ayna.com

Ayna, which means "where" in Arabic, is the premier Internet site
in the Arabic language serving the Arabic speaking people of the
Middle East and North Africa (approximately 280 Million people for
both regions). Based in Nashua, NH, USA, with offices in Lebanon and
United Arab Emirates. Ayna today is home to one the most active Arabic
communities online, helping users find Arabic related resources
through its Internet directory and search engine. For more
information, please visit: www.ayna.com.

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), 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 and Africa. For
further information about FAST, please visit www.fastsearch.com.