Business Services Industry

Internap Managed IP and Data Center Services Boost FreshDirect Shopping Experience; Online Grocery Shoppers ''7-Seconds-or-Less to Satisfaction'' with Optimized Internet Connectivity

Business Wire, August 21, 2006

ATLANTA & NEW YORK -- Internap Network Services Corporation (AMEX:IIP), a leading provider of performance-based routing solutions over the Internet, today announced that FreshDirect, a leading online fresh food manufacturing and delivery company has purchased additional collocation and optimized Internet connectivity via the Internap(R) Performance IP(TM) service. Based in New York, FreshDirect uses the Internap solution for all of its primary network connectivity, which runs the company's state-of-the art 300,000 square foot processing plant just outside of Manhattan. Internap also powers FreshDirect's customer-facing systems including the FreshDirect.com website, e-commerce operations and customer relationship management applications. The company offers online grocery services for approximately 250,000 customers in the Tri-State area and has filled more than 4 million orders since opening for business in 2002.

"Internap's reputation for network uptime, performance and responsiveness is second to none. As a fresh food e-tailer, this is key to our ability to operate in real-time to avoid wasting millions of dollars worth of perishables," said Derek Felska, director of technology engineering at FreshDirect. "We pride ourselves in delivering the freshest food to the toughest customers around -- discriminating New Yorkers. And Internap has helped us become a preferred online destination for timely deliveries and freshness."

The 7-Second Rule

All of FreshDirect's operations, from its online shopping cart to its processing plant, are tied to the performance, reliability and uptime of its network. The company credits the Internap Performance IP service for its role in delivering a site response time of less than 7 Seconds, which significantly improves its customer shopping experience and sales cycle. The vast majority of pages are delivered to customers in less than one second. This response time lies well within the range of the best performing national e-retailer sites, as listed on Gomez' Top 50 Performance Index: Site Response Times. During high retail seasons, such as Labor Day or Thanksgiving, Internap optimizes FreshDirect's network performance to accommodate sudden spikes in traffic due to increased transactions. Internap provides a 100% uptime guarantee with aggressive Service Level Agreements (SLAs), as well as 24x7x365 proactive technical support. These added value services save FreshDirect time and money by allowing internal IT resources to focus on other critical technology projects.

"If we didn't have the right ISP, we would have a lot of potential for lost sales due to spotty and erratic service. Any possible downtime would be a huge problem for us and would directly impact internal operations, sales and the customer experience," Felska added. "Our shopping cart is our livelihood, and since we don't have a physical retail presence, we need it up and running all the time. Because there is no downtime, we can take advantage of each sales opportunity. In fact, we believe that any problems or delays longer than seven seconds result in a lost sale. With Internap we can confidently meet our '7-Seconds-or-Less to Satisfaction' rule."

FreshDirect's more advanced customer-facing applications, such as one-click recipes, also benefit from the predictable performance of Internap connectivity.

"As consumers continue to flock to their favorite e-retailers for everything from food to electronics, Internap is increasingly recognized as the go-to for optimizing networks performance," said David Abrahamson, executive vice president of sales, Internap. "We will continue to help customers, like FreshDirect, enhance their online experience by delivering predictable, reliable connectivity."

The Internap New York data center used by FreshDirect is 76,000 total square feet and leverages infrastructure from 6 major Network Service Providers (NSPs). The premier Manhattan facility's HVAC, power and fire suppression features create a stable controlled environment, which, in turn, lowers FreshDirect's risk of outage due to infrastructure failures, natural disasters or third party actions.

About FreshDirect

Founded in 1999, FreshDirect is one of the nation's leading online fresh food manufacturing and delivery services. FreshDirect is setting a new standard for fresh food production and distribution by offering unparalleled quality, product customization and value pricing from its state-of-the-art facility in Long Island City. The company is expanding rapidly and currently serves most of Manhattan and locations in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, as well as New Jersey, Westchester and even the Hamptons. The company's vision is to change customers' lives by providing the ultimate shopping experience for impossibly fresh food and meal solutions. The company currently has over 250,000 customers and has fulfilled over 4 million orders since opening for business in September 2002. Additional information can be found at www.freshdirect.com

About Internap

 

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