Fast Search & Transfer (FAST) announced the availability of the FAST Enterprise Search Platform (FAST ESP), FAST ESP 5. The platform’s new Contextual Insight capability delivers answers to questions, and provides users with an intelligent search experience. FAST ESP 5 provides organizations and both their external and internal users with a secure, unified point of access to all structured, unstructured, and rich media data. FAST ESP applications include risk management, surveillance, information management, eCommerce, online publishing, and mobile search. New in FAST ESP 5 is Contextual Insight, a the fusion of information retrieval and information analysis. At the heart of FAST ESP 5 is the new FAST Search Business Center providing a new and holistic view for search management. Using the FAST Search Business Center, a non-technical user can set up and tune a number of different search applications running from a single FAST ESP installation. The FAST Search Business Center provides a workflow-based user interface to enable centralized search management, tuning, configuration, monitoring, and reporting. The FAST platform is an open information retrieval system, vendor agnostic, and supports all major platforms and operating systems, development and interface languages, storage configurations and content sources and destinations. http://www.fastsearch.com

X1 Technologies announced the availability of the newest release of the X1 platform, X1 Enterprise Edition 2.5. This release features a number of new developments including: the new X1 Cluster Manager, which allows IT administrators to remotely install and manage X1 servers, as well as providing central management capabilities for deploying large scale systems; a new Content Connector for Interwoven that searches on data residing in Worksite 8.0; and new X1 SDKs for extending the X1 platform to existing system and business processes. The X1 Enterprise Client gives the user a single unified view of all applications and data that resides on the desktop and the corporate network. The X1 Content Connector for Interwoven connects to the Interwoven WorkSite 8.0 data repository and federates the results with local and server-based content. The user can perform common Worksite 8.0 functions such as “open,” “check-in,” and “check-out,” and send documents within the X1 interface. X1 Enterprise Edition 2.5 starts at $15,000 per year, which includes the X1 Enterprise Server, Cluster Manager, Content Connectors and Deployment Manager which supports desktop, browser-based or mobile clients. Customer support and all version upgrades are included in the subscription fee. System requirements include Microsoft Windows Server and Active Directory / Windows Server 2000 SP4 with Internet Information Services 5 and Active Directory, 1 GB RAM and 20GB free hard disk. http://www.x1.com

Mondosoft announced that it has acquired Navigo Systems A/S, a privately held search and taxonomy software provider specialized in optimizing Microsoft SharePoint solutions. The two companies intend to maintain the Navigo Systems product line and enhance it with analytics capabilities stemming from Mondosoft’s BehaviorTracking technology. The acquisition will support Mondosoft’s existing product offering with SharePoint focused tools and reinforce the company’s existing .NET development assets. Navigo Systems produces Ontolica, a taxonomy toolset that develops a conceptual spine to define and classify an organization’s relevant information into a knowledge model.

WebSideStory announced a merger with privately held Visual Sciences, LLC, a provider of streaming data analysis and visualization software and on-demand services with 40 employees and over 40 customers. The total value of the consideration payable to the former holders of interests in Visual Sciences based on yesterday’s closing price is $57.3 million and is comprised as follows: $22.0 million in cash; unsecured senior notes in the principal amount of $20.0 million; 568,512 shares of common stock to be held in escrow until March 31, 2007; and 189,511 shares of restricted common stock. In addition, in connection with the merger WebSideStory issued the former holders of interests in Visual Sciences warrants to purchase 1,082,923 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $18.4685 per share, exercisable for the next 18-months, and options to purchase 350,000 shares of common stock to the former employees of Visual Sciences. The transaction has aleady closed. Visual Sciences will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of WebSideStory, Inc. Co-founders Jim MacIntyre and David Scherer will serve as CEO and CTO of the business unit, respectively.

Mediasurface launched the latest version of its content management suite (CMS). Version 5.3.5 marks the arrival of the Morello Web Client, the company’s new web-based content management interface. The Morello Web Client is almost indistinguishable from its Morello Smart Client desktop equivalent. It allows web-based content contribution through both Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers.

SpringCM launched as an on-demand content management company for businesses of all sizes. Dozens of customers, ranging from service and manufacturing businesses to state agencies and non-profits, are already leveraging SpringCM’s solutions to share and manage documents, images and multi-media files, inside and outside the organization. By combining software-as-a-service (SaaS) technologies with a complete and integrated solution, SpringCM can provide any businesses an affordable alternative to installed client server solutions. With SaaS there is no need to install or download the software. http://www.springcm.com