Network Appliance and ActiVia Networks Partner to Improve Quality of Service for Content Delivery Networks

Business Wire, Feb 21, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2001

ActiVia's Constellation Offers Support for Network Appliance(TM)

NetCache(TM) to Deliver Optimum Web and Streaming Content Delivery

Network Appliance, Inc. (Nasdaq:NTAP), the leading provider of network-attached data access and content delivery solutions, and ActiVia Networks, S.A., a world-class supplier of content delivery network (CDN) products, today announced a joint effort to offer advanced content delivery and management solutions for CDNs and content delivery service providers. This CDN infrastructure solution enables a new level of intelligent content routing, while simplifying and optimizing real-time network traffic management.

This enterprise solution meets two CDN management requirements: faster and more reliable access to content and efficient network usage. Constellation, based on ActiVia's A*Star multipurpose CDN server, enables networks to efficiently direct user requests to the closest content with the greatest availability, ensuring higher quality of service. Coupled with the ease of use and powerful functionality of Network Appliance NetCache appliances, policy managers can utilize Constellation to control network traffic from a centralized location, optimizing resource utilization and controlling network over-usage.

"The increasing demand for advanced applications continues to drive Network Appliance's focus on developing innovative solutions for CDNs and content delivery service providers," said Amit Pandey, senior director of marketing for the content delivery business unit at Network Appliance. "With ActiVia Networks, our center to edge solutions will help our customers efficiently utilize and manage network bandwidth in real time and build more advanced streaming and content delivery networks."

"Network Appliance's advanced content delivery solutions and ActiVia's intelligent content routing and traffic management technology are the ideal complementary building blocks for delivering the most scalable and powerful CDN solution on the market," said Frank Lyonnet, CEO at ActiVia Networks. "The synergy created by these combined solutions extends CDN capabilities to achieve greater network efficiency and levels of service."

Constellation for NetCache will be introduced by ActiVia Networks and Network Appliance at CDN2001, February 21-23 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. The Constellation for NetCache demo will be available at booth 215 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

About ActiVia Networks

ActiVia Networks is a leading provider of Content Delivery Network solutions serving network operators. Designed to work in unison with market leading cache appliances ActiVia Constellation provides a complete static, stream and dynamic web Content Delivery infrastructure. Constellation offers all the content aware routing and distribution features required for efficient and scalable CDNs. Necessary software for service and content management of the infrastructure is also included in the solution.

ActiVia's core technology was originally developed at INRIA -- the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science. ActiVia is one of the first members of the Content Alliance.

ActiVia Networks, headquartered in Europe's "silicon valley" Sophia Antipolis -- France, is a privately held technology company financed by Sofinnova Partners, Cross Atlantic Ventures and I Source. For more information visit www.activia.net or email info@activia.net.

About Network Appliance

Network Appliance, Inc., a veteran in network file storage and content delivery, has been providing data access solutions since 1992, and is a member of both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 index. Major corporations and service providers, including Lycos, Yahoo!, Citicorp Securities, Siemens, Lockheed, Cisco, Motorola, and Texas Instruments have deployed NetApp(R) solutions.

The company pioneered the concept of the "network appliance," an extension of the industry trend toward dedicated, specialized products that perform a single function. NetApp storage and content delivery platforms (filers and NetCache appliances) are coupled with powerful content distribution and reporting software. This end-to-end solution offers seamless data management from the back-end data center to the edge of the network quickly, simply, and reliably. The Network Appliance product portfolio utilizes the company's innovative data access software, known as the Data ONTAP(TM) operating system, as well as standards-compliant hardware. It also offers multiprotocol support and transparent integration for UNIX(R) and Windows(R).

Note to Editors: NetApp is a registered trademark and Network Appliance, NetCache, and Data ONTAP are trademarks of Network Appliance, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited. ActiVia Networks, ActiVia Constellation, and A*Star are all trademarks of ActiVia Networks S.A. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.