Founded in 1997, FAST builds search solutions for the corporate markets aimed at helping companies sift through massive databases of corporate documents.
It also sells search solutions for companies to help customers navigate around corporate web sites.
The FAST board of directors has unanimously recommended that shareholders accept the offer, which is expected to be completed during the second quarter.
“Enterprise search is becoming an indispensable tool to businesses of all sizes, helping people find, use and share critical business information quickly,” said Microsoft Business Division president Jeff Raikes.
“Until now organisations have been forced to choose between powerful, high-end search technologies or more mainstream, infrastructure solutions,” Mr Raikes said. “The combination of Microsoft and FAST gives customers a new choice: a single vendor with solutions that span the full range of customer needs.”
FAST has a deep talent pool and is respected throughout the technology industry for its expertise in best-in-class, high-end search solutions – benefits Microsoft can exploit through its worldwide customer reach and global partner network.
“This acquisition gives FAST an exciting way to spread our cutting-edge search technologies and innovations to more and more organisations across the world,” FAST chief executive John Lervik said.
“By joining Microsoft, we can benefit from the momentum behind the SharePoint business productivity platform to really empower a broader set of users through Microsoft’s strong sales and marketing network. It validates FAST’s momentum and leadership in enterprise search.”
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