Akamai boosts Web application services

Akamai Technologies filled out its hosted application lineup on Monday with the introduction of four applications designed for e-commerce Web sites. The applications give companies the option to run their Web site's search, user registration and other e-commerce tools on a host network, Akamai said. The companies would pay for the service depending on customers' usage of these tools.

The release is part of Akamai's push to expand its business beyond its Web content delivery services, which use a global network of data centers to speed up delivery of graphics and other Web graphics. Last year, the Cambridge, Mass.-based company signed a deal with IBM to run Java programs written for Big Blue's WebSphere application server on its network. By the end of the year, Akamai intends to have a beta program for hosting business applications written for Microsoft's .Net software, said Kieran Taylor, director of product management at Akamai.