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Online business video festival launched by vzaar

London, UK – May 23, 2011 –Lights, camera, action! Hollywood Director, Oliver Stone – known for his box office hits like Platoon, Natural Born Killers and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – is turning his talents to the small screen as judge of a unique online video festival, conceived and run by vzaar (http://www.vzaar.com), the leading business online video hosting platform.

Mr. Stone, one of vzaar’s major shareholders, is looking forward to reviewing entries in various categories, and ultimately selecting the Best Business Online Video 2011. The festival will be launched on 23rd of May on vzaar’s website at www.vzaar.com/festival

"This is an extremely exciting project – we are anticipating a high volume of entries from our global user base," said Stephen McCluskey, CEO of vzaar. "We’ll be on the look out for outstanding style, original ideas and, above all, the best example of video being used to its maximum potential for commercial ends."

"We are seeing an online video explosion happening at the moment, particularly in the small to medium size business sector," said Mr McCluskey. "We decided to hold a festival to showcase the best of these, with a built-in contest to be judged by our celebrity shareholder, Oliver Stone, who invested in vzaar because he became so enamored with our video delivery platform."

Videos submitted to the vzaar Video Festival will be viewed and short-listed for each of the following categories:
- Best Product/Service Video
- Best Video by a Creative Agency
- Most creative use of Video Online
The entry judged the best of the bunch across all categories will win the Best Online Video 2011 Award.

This is your chance to get your video out there, be credited for all that creative work and ensure your business stands out from the crowd. Each winning video will receive the vzaar Video Festival Award 2011 by category from Oliver Stone and will be featured on the vzaar.com site for all to see: a new audience for your business plus the thrill of being touched by fame and a powerful endorsement to trade on for years to come!

The competition is open to all vzaar customers, be you a media and communications company, marketing agency, e-commerce business or non-profit organization.
You can enter now by submitting your video at http://vzaar.com/festival. The deadline for entries is July 1st 2011. vzaar will let you know if you are on the shortlist and update you before the winners are announced by vzaar on July 18th 2011.
Oliver Stone says, "I make films like you’re going to die if you miss the next minute." How will he feel about your video?

About vzaar
vzaar is the leading online video hosting platform for eCommerce sites of all sizes and market segments. The vzaar service provides a cost effective and highly scalable video hosting service to thousands of companies worldwide. The easy to use online video management dashboard and a highly experienced sales support team allow businesses to publish video online fast.

Founded in 2007, vzaar has its Headquarters in London, United Kingdom. For more information visit http://vzaar.com

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SRS Tech PR
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Highwinds TAP to Provide Early Access to New Technologies

NEW YORK – May 9, 2011 – Highwinds^®, a leader in content delivery, network and IP services, today announced that it is previewing the latest version of its award-winning StrikeTracker^® console this week at Streaming Media East.  StrikeTracker delivers real-time reporting, analytics and content management to Highwinds’ content delivery network (CDN) customers.  Highwinds is also pleased to announce Highwinds TAP (Technology Access Program), which enables forward-thinking companies to experience Highwinds’ latest innovations, such as StrikeTracker 2.0 Beta, before they become publicly available.

StrikeTracker is a value-add technology that has achieved status as the industry’s leading CDN console since its initial launch in 2008.  Over the past several years, it has received customer praise and public recognition alike – including a Streaming Media European Readers’ Choice Award for Reporting and Analytics, and selection as a Streaming Media Editors’ Pick – for its rapid provisioning, content control, real-time analytics and self-service tools.

“StrikeTracker has always been a shining example of Highwinds’ development capabilities and has helped us differentiate our CDN offering,” said Steve Liddell, president of Content Delivery and Network Services for Highwinds.  “And now StrikeTracker 2.0 significantly improves on this.  We’ve listened to our customers and developed what we think is a unique, game-changing console that far surpasses the capabilities of its counterparts.  With the announcement of Highwinds TAP, we’re going to allow a select number of customers to access it first.”

StrikeTracker has been completely rebuilt to provide optimum support for Highwinds’ expanded CDN portfolio.  Highwinds has integrated new features and has made significant feature enhancements in this new version.  The company’s focus remains on creating advanced self-service functions, while continuing to deliver on its promise to provide the industry’s best analytics.  Key features include:

§ Instantly actionable analytics and data visualization intelligence that provides increased user control and at-a-glance statistics shown in real-time charts and graphs.  For example, a new “heat grid” helps content owners better understand their content popularity, trends and demographics by illustrating “hot” and “cold” spots.  This enables rapid response to content and viewer behavior by optimizing content monetization strategies in real time.

§ Self-service, instant adaptive bitrate streaming configuration that places new multi-protocol streaming tools directly into the hands of customers.  Further expanding on Highwinds’ vision of providing its customers with complete content command and control, this new toolset enables customers to self-configure content for multiple devices.

§ Second-generation cache architecture and enhanced content origin tools that improve customers’ direct management and self-provisioning of push/pull and v-host policies.  Customers can also adjust origin policies in real time to ensure an optimum budget-to-performance ratio.

§ Fresh prosumer design with a reconfigured dashboard that enables users to view the most important data immediately upon login.  The entire interface has been enhanced for improved usability.

Highwinds is currently accepting new companies into its Technology Access Program, which will provide them with immediate access to StrikeTracker 2.0 Beta.  TAP members will have advanced access to select Highwinds’ technologies and actively participate in shaping the future of the Highwinds System Suite™, StrikeTracker and other Highwinds technologies.  In addition to StrikeTracker 2.0 Beta, Highwinds’ multi-protocol Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) Streaming is also now available to TAP members.  To learn more and to express interest in becoming a TAP member, please visit www.highwinds.com/partners/technology-access-program.php.

About Highwinds Network Group, Inc.

Highwinds is a content delivery, network and IP services business that offers a comprehensive suite of solutions, including CDN, IP transit, transport, peering, colocation, content storage and IP software.  The company delivers content and rich media over its high-performance RollingThunder^® network to millions of global users every day.  Highwinds’ CDN customers gain unprecedented command and control with its StrikeTracker^® console and open APIs.  Highwinds is headquartered in Winter Park, Fla., and maintains data centers around the world.  For more information, visit www.highwinds.com.

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Highwinds, RollingThunder and StrikeTracker are registered trademarks, and System Suite is a trademark, of Highwinds Network Group, Inc.

Join me as I interview Stephane Roulland, CEO of DaCast, (via Skype) regarding the recent partnership announcement with Edgecast.

Strong Financial Profile Garners Financing Deal from Silicon Valley Bank and Comerica Bank

WINTER PARK, Fla. – May 4, 2011 – Highwinds Capital, Inc. today announced that it has secured a new $50 million credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank and Comerica Bank.  A leading provider of content delivery (CDN), network and IP services, Highwinds continues to leverage its strong market position, positive cash flow and sustained profitability in its partnerships with these well-respected financial institutions.  This new credit facility allows Highwinds to achieve a more attractive all-in cost of capital and is evidence of the company’s impressive financial profile.

“Silicon Valley Bank’s mission is to help our clients succeed.  Highwinds has effectively innovated and flawlessly executed in the high-growth market of online content and video delivery,” said Dale Kirkland, senior vice president of Silicon Valley Bank.  “We are honored to be Highwinds’ partner and to be providing a significant senior secured financing solution that supports Highwinds’ strategic objectives.”

Today’s economic climate has transformed the way banks loan money to businesses.  “Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful.  We are excited to enter into this business relationship with Highwinds,” said James Demoy, vice president of Comerica Bank’s Technology and Life Sciences Division, which provides credit and other financial services to young, growing, professionally backed technology and life sciences companies, as well as their more mature counterparts.

Highwinds, a top-tier CDN provider, has diversified its portfolio over the past several years into a comprehensive suite of solutions for content delivery, IP transit, transport, peering, colocation, content storage and IP software.  Highwinds continues to execute at a high level and gain industry traction with its massive global network, flexible and scalable solutions, and unique value-adds.  Highwinds’ financial strength puts it in a position to finance future growth initiatives, which may include strategic acquisitions, infrastructure expansion and the hiring of additional personnel.

“Our strong balance sheet, and the ability to leverage it in our banking relationships, is a testament to our people and our technology,” said Steve Miller, chairman and CEO of Highwinds.  “Every day, I’m honored to be surrounded by some of the industry’s most brilliant minds, the best technology in the space, and a team that knows what it takes to attract and retain prestigious customers.  These are the things that make high-profile banking transactions like this one possible.”

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Leading CDN available with unique live streaming solution

SAN FRANCISCO, May 3, 2011 – EdgeCast Networks, the world’s fastest, most reliable content delivery network (CDN) and DaCast, the first fully integrated, self-service platform for live streaming, today announced an expanding strategic partnership that creates a compelling way to stream from an online video service.

“This partnership means that small and medium sized broadcasters can quickly deliver content anywhere in the world while utilizing the rich, self-service monetization tools offered by DaCast,” said Stephane Roulland, CEO of DaCast.

This new partnership brings media distributors an all-in-one solution for high-quality, live video streaming and content creation using the DaCast Pay-in-Play system for media monetization. Content can be streamed directly from EdgeCast servers, enabling broadcasters to release content directly from the world’s leading CDN, ensuring a premium end user experience.

“Streaming directly from a global delivery network means a dramatic improvement in the user experience, which leads to more loyalty, more revenue, and a stronger bottom line for content publishers,” said Anthony Citrano, VP of communications and marketing at EdgeCast. “Access to such a network was once available only to companies with millions of dollars to invest, but now even the smallest of publishers have this power at their fingertips.”

The partnership comes on the heels of tremendous growth for both companies, with EdgeCast doubling their customer base in 2010 while DaCast has quadrupled its number of clients since the beginning of 2011.

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ATLANTA – April 28, 2011 ─ Internap Network Services Corporation (NASDAQ: INAP), a provider of intelligent IT Infrastructure services, announced that it will open a new data center in Los Angeles to serve increased demand for premium colocation. This facility will be Internap’s eleventh company-controlled facility in its eighth North American market and continues the company’s strategy to build a geographically diversified platform of premium data centers serving customers’ high-performance IT Infrastructure needs. The new Los Angeles facility will feature Internap’s route-optimized Performance IPTM service and will deliver best-in-class performance and availability across a portfolio of enterprise IP, CDN, colocation, managed hosting and cloud services.

Located in the South Bay, just 6 miles from Los Angeles International Airport, Internap’s new Los Angeles data center will include 55,000 square feet of premium net sellable data center footprint over time. The state-of-the-art facility will leverage modular designs and the latest power and cooling technologies to deliver power densities of up to 12 KW per cabinet to economically support long-term customer growth. The facility will minimize energy consumption and environmental impact through green data center practices such as a high-efficiency Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system, a cooling system that maximizes outside air for free cooling, reclaimed building materials and sustainable operational best practices. It will also feature a full range of customer amenities, including fully equipped office areas, technical workspaces, dedicated customer work environments and a full-service customer lounge. The first phase of approximately 15,000 net sellable square feet is expected to open in 2Q 2012.

“According to Tier 1 Research, the utilization of colocation space available in the Los Angeles area exceeds 90%,” said Mike Higgins, senior vice president of data center services at Internap. “Explosive growth in demand from the city’s media and entertainment, aerospace, technology, petroleum and finance industries has outstripped limited data center supply. With the addition of Los Angeles to our portfolio, Internap is able to provide these growing enterprises with data center space that can be tailored to their specific IT Infrastructure needs – from colocation, managed hosting and cloud services to high-performance enterprise IP and Content Delivery Network services – and can quickly scale to support their business growth requirements.”

Underscoring the company’s commitment to green data center objectives for efficiency and sustainability, Internap plans to submit the data center for Green Globes certification, LA County Green Building Standards compliance, LEED certification and an Energy Star rating.

About Internap Data Center Facilities

• Internap’s data centers offer a highly reliable and scalable IT Infrastructure to deliver and store content, data and applications. With more than 40% of Internap’s company-controlled footprint deployed within the last three years, these facilities feature the latest innovations in data center design, including scalable power and cooling density and environmental efficiencies.

  Customers can access Internap’s Performance IP service, which connects to all of the major Internet backbones globally and leverages patented technology that analyzes network performance characteristics – such as available bandwidth, delays and packet loss – to ensure that Internet traffic is routed over the best path 100% of the time.

• Along with SAS 70 Type II compliant practices, the facilities also offer multiple layers of security with 24/7 on-site technical support as well as proactive monitoring by engineers in Internap’s redundant Network Operations Centers.

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