LookSmart Selects Netli's New NetLightning for Web Services Optimization Service; Application Acceleration Technology Reduces Latency 60 Percent for Dynamic, XML-Based Machine-to-Machine Traffic Over the Internet

Business Wire, August 1, 2005

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Netli(R), the global leader in Application Delivery Network (ADN) services, today announced that LookSmart (Nasdaq:LOOK) (ASX:LOK), an online media and search technology company, has selected its new service, NetLightning(TM) for Web Services, to improve the performance and reliability of its dynamic XML-based machine-to-machine search query traffic. With Netli's recently-announced NetLightning for Web Services, LookSmart has reduced Internet-related latency and increased application availability for traffic between California and the East Coast.

After implementing NetLightning for Web Services, LookSmart experienced up to 60 percent reduction in cross-country network latency on selected partner feeds and reduced application timeouts due to long-haul network events. The improved performance and availability increased the consistency of the service and translated into greater traffic volumes.

"Obtaining reliably fast response times for our distant machine-to-machine traffic without having to build out an additional data center or rewrite applications delivers a cost benefit and competitive advantage to LookSmart -- and it was achieved with minimal disruption in the service to our partners and our customers," said Michael Grubb, CTO and senior vice president of technology for LookSmart.

NetLightning for Web Services is the first application optimization service specifically designed to meet the unique machine-to-machine communication needs of Web services. Netli has leveraged its patented Internet application acceleration technology to establish a separate network and systems infrastructure to ensure the performance of Web services and eliminate the impact of other types of network traffic or applications. NetLightning for Web Services provides bi-directional sub-second response times for Web services posts and requests, ensuring the Internet will not be a bottleneck for any critical communications.

"LookSmart's insightful use of NetLightning for Web Services to accelerate dynamic XML-based traffic signals a strong leap forward in the ability of companies to achieve acceptable performance for their most data-and-transaction-intensive Internet-based applications," said Willie M. Tejada, vice president, Netli Marketing and Business Development. "Many of our Fortune 1000 customers have expressed a need for this acceleration technology or have plans to implement a service-oriented architecture, and we see the use of NetLightning for Web Services growing dramatically over the coming months."

Netli's patented technology and services include NetLightning(R), NetliOffload(TM), NetliContinuity(TM), and NetliView(TM). NetLightning, the company's flagship offering, delivers a business-quality Internet with global sub-second response times, high availability and secure access to Web applications. NetliOffload is a static file and content offload service offered for free to customers of NetLightning. NetliContinuity transparently enables failover, backup or regulatory compliance for organizations with two or more data centers without having to install software or hardware devices. NetliView is a comprehensive measurement and reporting service, which enables organizations to continuously monitor the health of their business-critical, Netli-optimized applications.

About LookSmart

LookSmart is an online media and technology company that provides relevant content, advertising and technology solutions for advertisers and publishers of all sizes. LookSmart's distribution network is designed to maximize advertiser ROI via owned and operated properties, carefully chosen and monitored syndicated publishers, and search engine partners. The company's owned and operated vertical search sites and web tools offer consumers essential search results and a more personalized web experience. Distribution partners include Lycos, CNET, InfoSpace (Excite, MetaCrawler, Webcrawler), Cox Interactive, Apple's Sherlock, and U.C. Berkeley. LookSmart is based in San Francisco, California. For more information on LookSmart, visit www.looksmart.com or call 415-348-7500.

About Netli

Netli delivers a better Internet for business through its comprehensive suite of Application Delivery Network (ADN) services -- transparently enabling global eBusiness from local infrastructure. The world's leading and most successful companies use Netli's services to extend their market reach and reduce support costs while consolidating data center infrastructure. Netli is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and was recently named an innovative technology leader by IDG's Computerworld Magazine. For more information, visit www.netli.com or call 1-866-26-NETLI.