Network Appliance signs Cadence cache deal

Cadence Design Systems, the CAD software and services company, is to deploy Web caching technology from Network Appliance.

The value of the deal has not been disclosed, but Cadence, which has a major chip design facility in Scotland, said Network Appliance's NetCache product will help 4,000 employees access frequently used data within the Cadence network.

Web caching technology - whether hardware or software-based - from companies such as Network Appliance and Inktomi is most commonly used by Internet service providers (ISP) keen to improve download speeds, and prevent heavy-traffic sites going down. The technology is attractive because it allows end users to access popular Web sites without directly visiting their host servers, reducing the strain on those sites.

However, Web caching specialists are also counting on making inroads into large companies, which often place large amounts of data on corporate intranets.

Hans Klinkspoor, director of European operations at Network Appliance, said: "ISPs make up the first obvious market for Web caching. They're the low-hanging fruit. But the bigger prize is the corporate market."

In addition to ISPs and Yahoo, NetApp has contracts with Citicorp Securities, Lockheed, and Siemens.