Britannica.com Selects Loudcloud to Power Web Operations.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2000 Loudcloud Infrastructure Network to Help Maximize Performance and Flexibility of Premier Educational Web Site On Global Scale Loudcloud, Inc. today announced that Britannica.com, creator of leading consumer and educational Web sites, joins the list of leading companies that rely on Loudcloud's high-powered infrastructure network to automate To turn a set of manual steps into an operation that goes by itself. See automation. scaling on demand and maximize performance. After witnessing the recent emergence of companies specializing in infrastructure services and web operations Web operations is a domain of expertise within IT systems management that involves the deployment, operation, maintenance, tuning, and repair of web-based applications. With the rise of web technologies since mid-1995, specialists have emerged that understand the complexities of , Britannica.com began investigating outsourcing (1) Contracting with outside consultants, software houses or service bureaus to perform systems analysis, programming and datacenter operations. Contrast with insourcing. See netsourcing, ASP, SSP and facilities management. this function with the goal of running its business more efficiently and offering its millions of users faster and higher quality access to its Web sites. After a competitive review process, Britannica.com selected Loudcloud because of the depth and experience of its leadership, along with the innovation and quality of its proprietary Opsware(TM) automation technology. "The foremost global name brands continue to entrust their confidence in Loudcloud as the best provider of quality services for managing their massive Internet operations," said Ben Horowitz, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Loudcloud. "We are absolutely delighted to have forged this relationship with one of the world's most respected brands and look forward to helping Britannica.com deliver the robust customer experience that generations of users have come to depend on." "As Britannica.com's content and sites become increasingly sophisticated and attract more and more users, we believe Loudcloud's expertise and unique automation technology will allow us to quickly respond to our traffic growth and other customer demand issues that require instantaneous in·stan·ta·ne·ous adj. 1. Occurring or completed without perceptible delay: Relief was instantaneous. 2. and seamless response," said Don Yannias Don Yannias (born 1958) was appointed to be the Chief Executive Officer of Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. on 4 March 1997, after having become a director in January 1996. He was instrumental in developing the digital (CD/DVD-ROM) and online versions of the Encyclopædia Britannica. , CEO of Britannica.com Inc. "Leveraging Loudcloud's services will enable us to focus on our core competency A core competency is something that a firm can do well and that meets the following three conditions specified by Hamel and Prahalad (1990):
Loudcloud will initially manage and host the flagship Britannica.com (http://www.britannica.com) site; BritannicaSchool.com (http://www.britannicaschool.com), the company's new educational subscription service slated to launch in mid-October; and Encyclopedia encyclopedia, compendium of knowledge, either general (attempting to cover all fields) or specialized (aiming to be comprehensive in a particular field). Encyclopedias and Other Reference Books Britannica Intermediate, a proprietary product tailored to students in grades five and higher that will be offered on BritannicaSchool.com. About Loudcloud Loudcloud, Inc. was formed in September 1999 to build and run best-of-breed infrastructure services designed for Global 2000 companies, application service providers and high-growth Internet businesses. Founded by some of the Internet's most respected leaders, including Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen (person) Marc Andreessen - The man who founded Netscape Communications Corporation in April 1994 with Dr. James H. Clark. Andreessen has been a director since September 1994. and former Netscape/AOL executives Ben Horowitz, Tim Howes Tim Howes is the co-inventor of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), the Internet standard for accessing directory servers. The main purpose was to handle situations that the X.500 protocol suite could not address. X. and In Sik Rhee, Loudcloud offers businesses the intelligent way to outsource their infrastructure services. The Loudcloud infrastructure network encompasses a complete suite of software, hardware, network and operations -- including procuring Procuring, in general, is the act of acquiring goods or services, usually by contract. It may refer to:
About Britannica.com Britannica.com Inc. produces Britannica.com (http://www.britannica.com), a powerful free Web site featuring some of the highest quality content on the Internet; BritannicaSchool.com (http://www.britannicaschool.com), a subscription online learning and research product for students, educators and parents that the company plans to launch this fall; Britannica Online (http://www.eb.com), a subscription-based, advertising-free reference and research service; and the award-winning multimedia Britannica CD-ROMs and DVDs. Britannica.com's products give users timely and reliable information along an impressive range of topics through original content and features developed by the company's editorial and educational teams, content from the world's most respected encyclopedia and leading reference sources, articles from scores of top magazines and newspapers, and Web sites selected for their quality. Besides subscriptions and CD-ROM/DVD sales, the company generates revenues through advertising, sponsorships, e-commerce in the Britannica Store (http://www.britannicastore.com), and syndication of its content to online and offline companies and organizations. Headquartered in Chicago, the company also operates offices in California, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , the United Kingdom, Australia and India. Note to Editors: Loudcloud, Smart Cloud, and Opsware are service marks and trademarks of Loudcloud, Inc. All other trademarks appearing in this document are the property of their respective owners. |
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