INFINET TAKES ASP OVER ISP

By: Staff reports Company Sells Subscriber Services To Earthlink



In a major business transformation, InfiNet of Norfolk, Va., is selling
its Internet service provider (ISP) business to EarthLink Inc. of
Atlanta. A joint venture of Gannett Co. Inc., Knight Ridder, and
Landmark Communications, InfiNet says it will now focus on its online
services for the newspaper industry.



Like many technology vendors, InfiNet is becoming an application
service provider (ASP) - an outsourcer that hosts software
applications on its own servers. The company's president and CEO Steve
Fuschetti says the online newspaper business has grown dramatically
during the last two years. 'More and more publishers are learning that
outsourcing their application needs is not only cost-effective, but
enhances speed to market and allows them to focus on their core
competencies, not the technology,' he said in a statement.



InfiNet now claims 200 ASP clients, including the Chicago Sun-

Times, Long Island, N.Y.-based Newsday, and
KnightRidder.com's Real Cities network. The company provides technology
for online classifieds, e-commerce, chat, and publishing.



As part of its new focus, InfiNet is partnering with Openpages Inc. of
Westford, Mass., to offer Openpages ContentWare to its clients.
ContentWare is a Web publishing and management system. Other new
partners include GDT-Nova of Pleasanton, Calif., and SRA International
Inc. of Fairfax, Va.



InfiNet says the elimination of the ISP division will result in the
loss of 89 out of 173 jobs.